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By Justin Grasso
Contributing Sports Writer
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As the Golden State Warriors opened up a back-to-back set against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday, they missed a handful of players.
Steph Curry was among the list of inactives. While his injury designation was a sprained ankle, the fact that he played nine games leading up to the matchup, before returning to the court one night later, suggested that Curry was getting a rest night.
Jimmy Butler was also out due to an illness. The Warriors didn’t hide anything about Draymond Green’s absence, as he was ruled out due to rest.
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In the following game against the Utah Jazz, the key members returned to the floor. That only added to the idea that the Warriors chalked up Friday’s outing to a scheduled loss, leaving the former NBA veteran Chandler Parsons to sound off on Steve Kerr and the team for their decision.
Parsons Calls Out the Warriors
“It’s a pretty soft message,” Parsons said on FanDuelTV’s Run It Back
“It says let’s play our guys against the worst teams in the NBA and win the games we technically should win, and then rest them in the games that are going to be tough regardless.”
The Warriors were destroyed by the Thunder on Friday. A 131-94 loss snapped their two-game winning streak. As they got back in one piece on Saturday, the Warriors landed back in the winner’s column, with a 123-114 victory.
On Monday, the Warriors will pay a visit to the Los Angeles Clippers. So far, their injury report doesn’t reflect another stacked night of absences, which strengthens the theory that the Warriors were chalking up the outing against the Western Conference’s top dogs.
Entering Monday’s game, the Warriors are eighth in the Western Conference with a 19-17 record. They are taking on a 12-22 Clippers team that finally lost for the first time in seven games.
Although the Warriors are maintaining a winning record, it’s clear they are struggling to establish an identity of being true championship contenders this season.
“I don’t love the message, but again, this seems to be what [Steve Kerr] is doing now,” Parsons added. “He’s being realistic. He’s being honest, almost to a fault now about where they are. To me, this sends a bad message.
The Warriors have plenty of work to do.
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