The Golden State Warriors were presented with a gift on Thursday, when they faced a Milwaukee Bucks team that was without superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. Unfortunately, the Dubs were unable to capitalize on that opportunity, as they lost 120-110 while their former second-round pick, Ryan Rollins, had a career day.
Now, in the second and final game of their mini road trip, the Warriors are once again presented with a gift, as they’re facing an Indiana Pacers squad that is missing the vast majority
of their rotation regulars. Add in Myles Turner’s offseason departure, and this Pacers team looks almosst nothing like the one that made it to the NBA Finals a few months ago. Pascal Siakam might be the only name you recognize!
Anyway, here’s the full injury report for both squads.
Warriors
Out — De’Anthony Melton (left ACL surgery)
Melton is about two weeks away from being re-evaluated, and now that the calendar has turned to November, you can anticipate his season debut sometime this month. He’s not on the road trip, as he’s ramping up activities with the Santa Cruz Warriors.
Out — Alex Toohey (left knee injury recovery)
Another inactive for Toohey, the 52nd pick in June’s draft. He’s yet to be active this season.
Pacers
Out — Tyrese Haliburton (right Achilles tendon tear)
If you’re still sad about Haliburton’s injury, I recommend avoiding the latest season of Netflix’s Starting Five, which heavily features Haliburton and displays just how easy he is to like and root for. Just heartbreaking that he suffered such a severe injury in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Out — Andrew Nembhard (left shoulder strain)
Nembhard, who was the first pick in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft, has really turned into a high quality role player. He’s been a starter pretty much his whole career, and last year averaged 10.0 points and 5.0 assists per game. Unfortunately, he’s only played in one game this season.
Out — T.J. McConnell (left hamstring strain)
Your favorite coach’s favorite player. McConnell is already in his 11th season, and has been one of the best — and most trustworthy — bench players in the league for many years. He’s yet to play this season, but despite playing just 17.9 minutes per game last year, he averaged 9.1 points and 4.4 assists.
Out — Bennedict Mathurin (right great toe sprain)
With Haliburton out for the year, Mathurin — the sixth overall pick in 2022 — has turned into Indy’s go-to perimeter option. Unfortunately, he only made it through two games before suffering an injury that has him week-to-week … but he did score 62 points in those two games.
Out — Obi Toppin (right foot stress fracture)
Toppin never quite lived up to his lottery pick hype during his three years with the New York Knicks, but has really come into his own while with the Pacers. Unfortunately, the athletic sixth-year forward suffered an injury in the third game of the season, and is going to be out for at least three months.
Out — Kam Jones (lower back stress reaction)
Jones was the 38th pick in June’s draft, but has yet to make his NBA debut. He’s expected to be sidelined for at least another week.
Probable — Johnny Furphy (left foot bone bruise)
Furphy played in 50 games last year, despite being a second-round rookie playing on a title contender. Injuries have held him to just one minute on the court this year.
Probable — Taelon Peter (right groin strain)
Peter was taken with the 54th pick in June, two spots behind Toohey, and two spots ahead of the Warriors other rookie, Will Richard. He’s played in three games so far, and given the sheer number of injuries that Indy is dealing with, you can expect that number to reach four if he’s able to suit it up tonight.
The game tips off at 4:00 p.m. PT, and you can watch it on NBC Sports Bay Area and NBA TV. Enjoy the game, everyone!
