On Wednesday night, the Golden State Warriors will limp into Memphis to face the Grizzlies already reeling from back-to-back blows — and now they’ve been hit with more devastating injury news.
The Warriors are still smarting from Tuesday’s heartbreaking 113-109 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center, where Draymond Green put up a solid but ultimately futile line of 11 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and two blocks on 5-of-11 shooting (1-of-3 from deep) in 32 minutes.
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Now, in the latest gut punch for the Bay Area faithful, the Warriors have officially ruled out their future Hall of Famer for Wednesday’s matchup. Green is sidelined with a lower back ailment and will sit for what the team is calling “injury management.”
According to Joseph Dycus of the Mercury News: “WARRIORS INJURY UPDATE: Draymond Green out with a lower back ailment + injury management, so this could just be Kerr giving Green the second night of a B2B off. He missed Monday’s game with a sore back. Horford will play, Melton is out.”
While the team insists it’s precautionary and nothing serious — essentially preserving their veteran leader for the critical final stretch of the season — the timing couldn’t be worse. The 35-year-old anchor is averaging 8.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game this season while shooting 41.0% from the field and 32.0% from three in 48 appearances. In his 14th NBA campaign out of Michigan State (all with Golden State), Green remains the heartbeat of Steve Kerr’s squad.
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The bad news doesn’t stop there. In addition to Green, the Warriors will also be without Steph Curry, Kristaps Porzingis, Jimmy Butler, LJ Cryer, Seth Curry, De’Anthony Melton, and Nate Williams. The roster is decimated, leaving Golden State dangerously shorthanded heading into a tough road date with Memphis.
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Currently sitting as the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference with a 30-28 record after 58 games, the Warriors have staggered through a rough patch, winning just four of their last ten contests and posting a dismal 11-17 mark on the road this season.
After Wednesday’s clash with the Grizzlies, the Warriors return home Saturday night to host LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers at the Chase Center — another massive test for a team already fighting for playoff positioning.
Coming off a second-round exit to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2025 playoffs, the Warriors are desperate to avoid another early postseason disappointment. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies enter the night still stinging from a first-round sweep at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder last spring.
Disaster in the Bay indeed. With so many key pieces sidelined, the Warriors will need heroic efforts from the remaining healthy bodies if they hope to avoid slipping further in the brutally competitive Western Conference.