The Warriors welcome 2015 by hosting the Toronto Raptors in a battle between the best teams from the East and West. Both teams have a half game lead for the top seed in their respective conference, so this should be close and intense matchup.
The Raptors will be without DeMar DeRozan, who has missed significant time due to a leg injury. Toronto has played well without DeRozan and they’ve continued to win without him. The Warriors have their own injury woes to worry about and according to Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle, Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli will not play against the Raptors tonight:
Steve kerr said GSW centers Andrew Bogut (right knee) and Festus Ezeli (left ankle) are still making progress, but neither will play Fri.
— Rusty Simmons (@Rusty_SFChron) January 1, 2015
It would have been nice to have either big man for tonight’s game, but once again other players will need to step up to get this victory. Ezeli’s absence is the most surprising, he suffered a mild ankle sprain on December 23rd and hasn’t played since. The Warriors might be being cautious with him, given their lack of big men as of late.
Bogut is still recovering from the platelet-rich plasma therapy he underwent on his right knee, but there is no set date on his return. The Warriors are hoping he will be back soon, but they would much rather have a healthy Bogut come playoff time.
For now, the Warriors will have to continue asking more of Marreese Speights and David Lee. It’s been working so far.