Warriors have lots to prove vs. West's best over three games

Not too long ago, it was clear which span of games would be biggest for the Warriors down the stretch. Those upcoming three games have lost some luster due to injuries to star players, but they still will serve as a major test for Golden State. 

The Warriors over the last 12 days have lost to the San Antonio Spurs, Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks and now the Washington Wizards with their 123-115 defeat Sunday at Capital One Arena. They also lost to the Boston Celtics two days before the loss to Spurs. In between losses to the Magic and the Hawks they somehow beat the Miami Heat without a handful of their top players.

Starting Monday, they now face the No. 2 seed, No. 1 seed and No. 5 seed in the Western Conference over a six-day period. 

Of their final seven regular-season games, the Warriors' three toughest will be their next three contests. And once again, they will be shorthanded. 

With Monday's meeting against the Grizzlies in Memphis coming on the second night of a back-to-back, coach Steve Kerr said the Warriors "most likely" will be without Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Otto Porter Jr. That's on top of them not having Steph Curry, who continues to be out with a sprained ligament in his left foot.

Even as they continue to spiral and search for an ounce of continuity before playoffs, Kerr and the Warriors will continue to make health their top priority and take a big-picture approach. But the Grizzlies also will be without their top player as superstar point guard Ja Morant continues to be sidelined with knee soreness. 

However, the Grizzlies have won four straight games and now are 17-2 without Morant this season. The Warriors fell to 3-8 without Curry this season after their loss to the Wizards. Porter scored 14 points off the bench, recorded his fifth double-double this season and was a team-high plus-7 against Washington. Thompson has been an inconsistent up-and-down since returning in January, but in his last two games he has averaged 31 points while shooting 48.3 percent on 29 3-point attempts. 

Green has been a shell of himself in the six games he has played since returning from a herniated disc in his back. Let's not act like he won't be missed in Memphis. In a perfect world, it would have been great to see him go up against Grizzlies big men Steven Adams and Jaren Jackson Jr. 

Here's the good news: Kerr said he's "hopeful" Andre Iguodala could make his long-awaited return Monday from a back injury that has hampered him for nearly two months. Klay can't wait for that to happen.

"Wow,” Thompson said. "That would be a welcomed sight. I miss playing with him." 

Thompson then was asked what Iguodala still could bring to the Warriors at this stage in his career. The praise was aplenty.

“He’s so smart. He’s always in the right position defensively,” Thompson said. “Offensively, he does the same thing like on the defensive end, making the right plays and knocking down clutch, clutch shots and just being Andre Iguodala -- a Finals MVP and a guy who’s been so valuable to this franchise and I’m just very excited he’s coming back.

"I miss playing with him." 

Iguodala hasn't suited up since Feb. 7 when he played just under six minutes. But he hasn't played a full game since Jan. 20, and has been held to only 26 games this season. The Warriors are 17-9 when Iguodala plays and they're plus-11.5 with him on the court. He hasn't played against the Suns yet this season, but has played once against the Jazz and twice against the Grizzlies. 

It looks like he should play at least one of the upcoming three games, and the Warriors need all the bodies they can get.

Thompson and Green should both be back on Wednesday against the Suns, and with Saturday's game against the Jazz being the first of a back-to-back, we can assume for now that they also will be available vs. Utah.

Draymond was his biggest critic following the Warriors' loss to the Wizards and should have two chances to show what he can bring to the table come playoff time when Golden State faces the Suns and the Jazz later this week. 

"I've never really been on a team that gets worse when I'm on the floor and that's kind of where we are right now," Green said. "Some things I can correct, some things will come with time. Just kind of what it is but we're definitely worse when I'm on the floor, that's for sure."

Draymond returned from a 31-game absence (minus seven seconds) on March 14. He was a plus-24 over 20 minutes in his first game back, but has been a minus-15, plus-2, minus-8, minus-24 and minus-20 in his past five games. The Warriors can't go too far with that version of him. Upon his return, Green vowed he still could win Defensive Player of the Year. So far, he mostly has been a detriment for a lot of reasons that are out of his hands. 

Injuries suck. 

You also can bet on a determined Draymond being ready to rumble against Suns center DeAndre Ayton and Phoenix's plethora of scoring options, and his beef with Jazz center Rudy Gobert -- who was a late scratch Sunday to a right leg contusion -- always serves as extra motivation. 

RELATED: Warriors can't achieve goals until Draymond finds his game

These next three games have lost some star power, but not importance.

The Grizzlies can win their season series with the Warriors, the Suns want to continue showing they're the cream of the crop in the NBA and the Jazz -- who lost by 14 points to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday -- now are losers of four straight and have to get back on track before the postseason begins.

Then there's the Warriors.

Curry's left foot will be re-evaluated Friday. That doesn't mean he'll play Saturday against the Jazz, no matter how much good news that update provides. The Warriors will have to carry on without him, including in these three games before the schedule becomes much easier to end the regular season. 

Adding to the win column would be nice, there's no doubt about that. But what matters most against three of the West's best is getting a closer look at some key question marks. Can Klay keep this up? How will Draymond respond in his next game back? What will we see from Iguodala? The same goes with Andrew Wiggins -- whose 23 points Sunday were his most in two months -- and the Warriors' two lottery picks in Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody. How long will Jordan Poole push his streak of scoring at least 20 points, and will he do so in an efficient manner? 

The Warriors have answered the call before when undermanned, with their Heat win still being unexplainable. They also have given us some head-scratching losses. This span is just their latest big test, in a season full of them.

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