On January 7th, Beijing time, as the schedule progresses in depth, the battle for the Western Conference playoffs has entered a white-hot stage. The three giants who led the West at the beginning of the season now only have the Thunder remaining with their 15-game winning streak, proudly looking down on all others. In contrast to the Western Conference's first-place team at the same time, the Warriors are now ranked eighth in the West, leading the tenth-ranked Spurs by only 0.5 games, while the Suns have completely fallen behind and become the fourth-worst in the West.
Speaking of the Warriors, during the offseason, the team did not pursue big-name stars as expected after sending away Paul and Thompson, but simply signed role players like Melton, Hield, and Li Keller to hastily conclude their moves. Just when Warrior fans were questioning Dunleavy's poor recruitment, the Warriors unexpectedly made a comeback to the top of the Western Conference at the beginning of the season with a mediocre roster, leading the league in various statistics and transforming into a dark horse contender for the championship.
Although after a long tug-of-war, the team's record has declined, a healthy Warriors squad still fears no strong team in the league. For example, in the previous game against the second-place Grizzlies in the West, the Warriors defeated their opponents 121-113 at home even with Curry resting.
However, it was precisely in order to win this crucial match that the Warriors' star player Kuminga suffered an unexpected injury during the game, severely spraining his ankle and had to leave the court early. After the game, Warriors head coach Kerr stated that Kuminga's injury is serious and he is expected to be out for some time. The next day, the Warriors officially announced that Kuminga will undergo another injury assessment in three weeks, which means that Kuminga will have to temporarily leave the team to receive rehabilitation treatment for the next 11 games.
It is worth noting that after the Warriors released their official statement, Kuminga also publicly expressed confidence in himself. As the Warriors' second-leading scorer this season, Kuminga has played 32 games, averaging 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists per game, and he is also an important chip in the Heat's push for the Butler trade.
However, with Kuminga's injury, the team's record is shaky, and the Warriors' prospects for winning the championship in the West are also very difficult. It was originally thought that they could continue the momentum from the beginning of the season, but now it seems that the championship landscape is likely to be in doubt again. For the Warriors, how to secure a playoff spot and make a full effort to impact the playoffs is the primary goal.