Golden State Warriors try to remain even-keeled amid injuries, visit Oklahoma City Thunder

Oklahoma City – Playing without Stephen Curry, the Golden State Warriors are not asking for a miracle with just more than a month remaining in the regular season.

The Warriors enter the March 7 (March 8, Singapore time) road matchup with the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder in eighth place in the National Basketball Association (NBA) Western Conference.

The Warriors have gone 5-7 during this stretch without Curry, who has not played since Jan 30 as he recovers from a knee injury.

“For us, just got to stay afloat,” Draymond Green said. “Nobody’s expecting us to go on a 10-game win streak, but you just got to stay afloat. You can’t let things go too far south and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Golden State are coming off a 115-113 overtime victory at the Houston Rockets on March 5 in a game where the Warriors had just 10 active players.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr said it was “probably as beaten up a team as I’ve ever been around in my 12 years with the Warriors”.

In the March 5 win, Golden State were without not only Curry but also Kristaps Porzingis (illness), Moses Moody (wrist), Gary Payton II (ankle) and Will Richard (ankle).

Porzingis travelled with the Warriors on this trip and is listed as questionable for March 7. He has missed the last six games and has played just once since being acquired by the Warriors in early February.

Moody remains out, but Payton is probable and Richard is questionable.

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault expects fight from Golden State regardless of which players are available.

“I think there’s something to guys that expect to win the game that they play,” Daigneault said. “That’s what I’d say about Green and (Al) Horford... When those guys line up and lace them up, they expect to win and are disappointed when they don’t. That’s a contagious thing.”

The Thunder are on a four-game winning streak and have won seven of eight since the All-Star break. They are coming off a 103-100 road win over the New York Knicks on March 4.

The game against the Warriors marks the beginning of a four-game homestand for the Thunder.

The stretch is far from easy, though, as Oklahoma City will play the Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves to close out the homestand.

“We’re looking forward to this stretch,” Daigneault said. “It’s obviously really high-level opponents in all these games that will really test us and give us a good look.”

Oklahoma City’s Isaiah Hartenstein (calf bruise) and Alex Caruso (hip bruise) left the March 4 game with injuries and both have been ruled out for March 7.

But the Thunder have been able to stay atop the West even though they have rarely fielded their full rotation.

Chet Holmgren has been a big piece of that success and has come up big against the Warriors this season, shooting 75.9 per cent in three games against Golden State – all wins. He is averaging 19.7 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in those wins.

“I just tell him, ‘You’re an elite player. You’re elite on both sides of the court. If you cut your offence out and make you a trash offensive player, you’re still elite because of your defence,” teammate Jaylin Williams said. “‘If you’re not elite on defence, you’re still elite on offence.’“

Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has scored 20 or more points in 124 consecutive games, two shy of Wilt Chamberlain’s NBA-record 126.

Meanwhile in NBA action on March 6, Jayson Tatum made a triumphant return from long-term injury as the Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks 120-100.

Tatum, making his first appearance since suffering a ruptured right Achilles tendon during the 2025 play-offs in May, scored 15 points to help the Celtics secure a commanding win.

Boston’s packed TD Garden had risen as one to give the popular 28-year-old All-Star a rousing standing ovation as he took to the court for the first time in 298 days.

Elsewhere, the San Antonio Spurs delivered another statement performance with a come-from-behind 116-112 home victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
REUTERS, AFP