The Golden State Warriors lost in more ways than one on Tuesday night. The Warriors not only lost to the Sacramento Kings 123-124, but Chris Paul also went down with a leg injury. Paul left in the first quarter and never returned. That same game, Gary Payton Jr. left in the third quarter after suffering a calf injury. Now, with Paul and Payton Jr's return in question, the shorthanded Warriors must find a way to beat the Los Angeles Clippers tonight.
Chris Paul out for tonight's game against the Clippers
According to the injury report, Chris Paul is out for tonight's game due to a left lower leg nerve contusion. Although he's currently in his 19th season in the NBA, this is Chris Paul's first season with Golden State. Before the injury, Chris Paul averaged 9.3 points, and 7.7 assists per game this season. He also shot 39% from the field and 32% from three.
Thankfully, the Warriors don't expect Paul's recovery to take too much time. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Paul is expected to return to play on a day-to-day basis. Thankfully, the Warriors already lead the NBA in bench minutes per game, so while their rotation will be affected, there shouldn't be too much of a drop-off in production.
Per Wojnarowski on Twitter:
Tonight, the Warriors will host the Clippers at Chase Center. This should be an excellent matchup as the Clippers (8-9) are ranked 10th in the Western Conference, while the Warriors (8-10) are 11th. The Warriors, however, have struggled at home this season, posting a surprising 3-6 record. On the road, the Clippers are 3-6. They both faced the Sacramento Kings recently, with the Clippers trouncing them and the Warriors barely losing.
However, this is a back-to-back for the Clippers and this season, the Clippers are 1-1 in games played with 0 days of rest. The Dubs, on the other hand, can only hope their day of rest paid off. As a team, they're 5-6 in games played after one day of rest. All things considered, even without Paul or Payton Jr., the Warriors still appear to have the advantage over the Clippers due to their recent rest.
