'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAYACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABfAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQcQAAIDAAMBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQRAAYSBSEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMEEQACAQQDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMAERIhIjFB/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwDAJeh9nrVYGW1S8JZhGl39D1IF/D4GjTpB5OvdM+nWu2YX+i8jRzOhczPrFTmnAOOOWwSSR54O678YihexIuAeI7Ff/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Golden State Warriors have faced a predicament with their superstar Steph Curry out of the rotation. However, there appears to be some good news on the horizon for Dubs fans.
The Warriors haven't had the best start to their title defense. With a 15-18 record prior to Christmas, the Dubs found themselves in a rather difficult position while mounting their title defense.
With poor internal chemistry resulting in abysmal performances on the road, Golden State constantly battled for a place in the Play-In tournament. Needless to say, the defending champions were not looking their best.
While the situation appeared to be dire, Golden State was dealt a severe setback when superstar Steph Curry injured his shoulder in a game against the Indiana Pacers. The Dubs were severely undermanned with Curry and other key players out of the lineup.
The Warriors put forward their best effort in this span of time. However, the future looked bleak with Curry being out indefinitely.
But things may finally be looking up for Golden State.
The Warriors recently announced that Curry is making good progress on his return. In a recent interview with ABC's Lisa Salters, Steph Curry also gave an update regarding his return to action.
"I'm hoping as close to that two weeks as possible. More so, that gives you time to really lock in on the rehab process and every check-box you got to go through to get back to 5-on-5 action. Hopefully the back-end will be a lot faster than this front-end."
He added:
"Every day is getting better. When I first hurt it, they gave me kind of a multi-week timeline and every day it's getting better, trending in the right direction, so hopefully I can keep making progress and get back to get on the floor, contact and all that, get back on the court and play basketball."
Playing without their superstar, the Golden State Warriors found themselves in a complicated position. The Warriors recorded three losses and one win in this elapsed time span.
Heading into the Christmas Day matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State appeared to be in an unfavorable position. However, the team managed to rally together to notch a much-needed win in Steph Curry's absence at home.
The Golden State Warriors beat the Grizzlies without Steph Curry
The Golden State Warriors may have been shorthanded without their superstar Steph Curry, but that didn't stop the team from handing Memphis a loss at the Chase Center. With a Christmas Day matchup featuring a budding rivalry, the Warriors emerged victorious with a 123-109 scoreline.
The Warriors and Grizzlies have had some bad blood since last season's playoffs. With some antics going both ways, the Warriors knocked Memphis out of the playoffs after a rather grueling series.
As the rivalry continues to develop, the Warriors have emerged as winners at Chase Center once more. Improving to 16-18 on the season, the Dubs also improved to a 2-3 record without Curry available.
With Curry set to return in early January, the Dubs will look to maintain their current lead. The Warriors may be in a good position to do so with seven more home games remaining.
