Warriors overcome Hornets as Chris Paul's return from injury is coming soon
Three straight wins and the return of a future HOFer? Get ready Dub Nation, the tides are changing our way!
The Golden State Warriors took care of business in Chase Center last night, knocking off the Charlotte Hornets 97-84 in front of an adoring Chase Center audience.
This win is Golden State’s third in a row, and their eighth victory in their last ten games. This hot streak has them only a half game behind the Los Angeles Lakers for the 9th seed in the West, and four games up on the Utah Jazz for the 10th spot.
As the team surges with momentum, there’s two things on the horizon for Dub Nation to get excited about.
1.) The Dubs apparently have the sixth easiest remaining schedule of all the teams in the NBA, with three more Spurs games and another Wizards and Hornets game coming up. If Golden State can beat up on the losing teams and pad their record, they could absolutely jump up the standings.
2.) Chris Paul will be back soon from his hand injury! Per the Mercury News, CP3’s return is coming up potentially in the next week:
The Warriors expect Chris Paul to return as soon as their upcoming road trip next week, and he’s not coming back from his fractured hand to sit on the bench. Paul’s reintegration with the team is bound to cause what Kerr calls a “numbers crunch,” and his fit into their plans will almost certainly be fluid.
The Warriors, winners of nine of their last 11, have forged an identity lately. If you ask them, Paul is more likely than not to improve it rather than disrupt.
“Well first, you’d be an idiot not to think CP can help us,” Steph Curry said Thursday after the Warriors’ win over the Lakers. “He has an ability to exist in whatever lineup he’s out there with and elevate them. The question is, from a night-to-night perspective you start with the idea of who’s going to close the game.”
CP3 is a 38-year old future Hall-of-Famer who has averaged 8.9 points and 7.2 assists per game in 32 games as a Warrior (11 as a starter). The Dubs have gone 16-16 in games he’s played. He’s shot 42% from the field, 36% from beyond the arc, with better luck shooting coming from the right side of the court so far.
Now here’s that time of the day where I turn it over to the brilliant minds of the folks here at DNHQ. Are you pumped about the impending return of Paul? Or are you concerned that now the Warriors have finally found a modicum of chemistry and consistency, a major piece like CP3 is coming back to find a fit?
Let me know in the comments, AND YES I WILL BE TAKING RECEIPTS!
I assume everyone here has been riveted by the half hour long interview with TJ D on NBC Sports Bay Area Dubs Talk, just concluded. The entire population of TJD Atoll, including the dolphins, rays, and sharks (no, not sports teams) attended the event. He mentioned that on draft night the Dubs had several other negotiations in the works, I think he said four or five, but they fell through before they made the offer to him. Did everyone know this?
My wife who does not follow sports just asked me an excellent question I do not know the answer to, but I have faith people here will: “Does Steph ever have two bad games in a row?”
Hmm. Can you remember that happening?