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The Golden State Warriors, led by Draymond Green, are gearing up to take on the Miami Heat in a matchup between two teams with championship aspirations.
The Warriors have been extremely hot and cold since the turn of the year after losing Draymond Green to an injury, Steph Curry continuing to struggle, and Klay Thompson still trying to return to his old self after recovering from a knee injury.
They have won only four of their last 10 games in the league and are currently on a three-game losing streak. However, they are still third in the highly competitive Western Conference, with a record that reads 47 wins and 25 losses.
Draymond Green's team find themselves 11 games from the summit of the Western Conference and have the likes of the Utah Jazz and the Dallas Mavericks hot on their heels as they are only two and three games behind respectively.
The Warriors have championship aspirations this season and are red hot favorites to come out of the West with the likes of Curry, Thompson and Green in their starting lineup. But the Suns are a formidable team and reached the NBA Finals last season after beating the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
What is Draymond Green's status for tonight's game against the Miami Heat?
The Golden State Warriors have officially listed Draymond Green as out for tonight's game against the Miami Heat and will take no part. This hardly comes as a surprise as the Warriors have been careful with load management for players like Thompson, Green and Curry.
The Warriors have often opted to sit their three talismanic figures on back-to-back nights and engage in load management. The trio have picked up a lot of injuries over the last couple of years and the franchise needs them in tip-top shape for the postseason as championship hopes hang on their shoulders.
Draymond Green was in the running to become the best defensive player in the league this season but that has been halted by the back injury he picked up that saw him be sidelined for 28 games. He has missed 33 games in total this season with injuries and this has prompted the Warriors management to take a call on sitting him for back-to-back games.
The Warriors can't afford another injury to one of their key players after Curry went down with an ankle injury he sustained in the game against the Boston Celtics. James Wiseman will soon be back for the franchise and they will need Green at his best and fully healthy once the postseason comes around.
Guess the Lakers players!
