As the Warriors close out a difficult road trip, they could be without two important defenders.
Draymond Green has been ruled out of Golden State's matchup against the defending champion Denver Nuggets on Wednesday at Ball Arena due to personal reasons.
In addition to being without their defensive anchor, Gary Payton II also could miss Wednesday's game due to an illness.
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The Warriors are playing their third game in four days and their fourth consecutive road game. After a thrilling two-point win in Oklahoma City against the Thunder, a loss in Cleveland to the Cavaliers and a win against the Pistons in Detroit, Golden State will end its current road trip in the Mile High City in what's expected to be a tough matchup.
They certainly would like to complete this difficult road stretch with a 3-1 winning record rather than a 2-2 record, but that could become more challenging with Green out.
After leading the West for the majority of the 2022-23 NBA season, the Nuggets (7-1) remain atop the Western Conference with just one loss on the season. The Warriors (6-2) aren't far behind in third place.
Golden State Warriors
Green, 33, missed all of preseason and the first two regular-season games for the Warriors due to an ankle injury he sustained right before the start of training camp.
In six games this season, Green is averaging 10.3 points on 46.7 percent shooting, with 5.0 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 0.8 steals in 25.9 minutes.
With or without Green, and possibly without Payton II, the Warriors will rely on their "Strength in Numbers" as they take on the reigning champs.