All-Star Player set out of season due to a right calf strain…

The Golden State Warriors face off against the Brooklyn Nets tonight in a game they have very little excuse to lose.

There are just two Warriors players on the injury report: Gary Payton II and Draymond Green. After striking Jusuf Nurkic in the face, Draymond Green was given an indefinite suspension, and Gary Payton II missed time with a strained right calf. The Golden State Warriors will have Chris Paul, Andrew Wiggin, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson available tonight.

Armoni Brooks, Noah Clowney, Dorian Finney-Smith, Keon Johnson, Ben Simmons, Dennis Smith Jr., Lonnie Walker IV, and Dariq Whitehead are the eight Brooklyn Nets players with injuries listed on their report.

Armoni Brooks is out due to a G League two-way, Noah Clowney is out due to a G League assignment, Dorian Finney-Smith is probable due to left knee soreness, Keon Johnson is out due to a G League two-way, Ben Simmons is out due to left lower back nerve impingement, Dennis Smith Jr. is out due to an upper back sprain, Lonnie Walker IV is out due to a left hamstring strain, Dariq Whitehead is out on a G League assignment.

Given their superior health and availability compared to the Brooklyn Nets, the Golden State Warriors are a clear winner. The Warriors have no reason to lose this game tonight given how badly they’ve been playing.

Tonight at 8:30 p.m. EST, the Golden State Warriors and Brooklyn Nets will play.

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Before torching Nets with flawless 4th, Steph Curry tweaked routin…

SAN FRANCISCO — Stephen Curry’s latest spectacular performance began much earlier than it normally would have.

Curry and assistant coach Bruce Fraser took the court just after the team’s walkthrough, roughly two hours before Saturday night’s tipoff against the Nets. His complex shooting schedule usually starts ninety minutes before tipoff. At least half an hour had passed since that one started.

Five hours later, Curry willed the Warriors past the Nets by going 7-for-7 from the floor in the fourth quarter, dropping 16 points in 8:40 minutes of crunch time.

“Man, y’all don’t miss anything,” Curry joked when asked about the pregame workout change.

Global superstars, franchise icons, two-time MVPs, four-time champions and sport innovators rarely go unnoticed. There must be a reason for the change in schedule.

“Just wanted to change it up a little bit to get the mind and body ready to play,” Curry said. “Kind of mess around with tweaks every so often throughout the year. But just trying to get some space before the game, a little bit more time to get right. It paid off.”

It wasn’t only the media who recognized Curry’s shift. His teammates noticed, too.

“He changed his whole routine up,” rookie guard Brandin Podziemski said postgame. Just locked in and focused on just winning. Obviously that showed in his play tonight.”

Curry, like many elite athletes, is known to be extremely routine oriented. The change in his daily habit came at a possible inflection point in his and the Warriors’ season — and, perhaps, the Warriors dynasty he has cultivated.

In the past week, forward Draymond Green has been indefinitely suspended for his pattern of on-court violence. The Warriors held a team meeting before Thursday’s game in Los Angeles, Curry said, to clear the air and focus. They’d lost three straight games, and four of their last five.

Curry and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr both said the Green drama has been heavy for the two-time All-Star. Kerr used the words “emotionally spent” when describing Curry’s past few days. Against the Clippers after the team meeting, Curry scored just 17 points with a season-worst 29.4% field goal percentage.

“There have been a lot of talks and noises around us,” Curry remarked. It was crucial that we had that meeting in order to sort of figure out where we were and what was going on. Everyone sort of expressed their feelings. There are many obstacles in the game of basketball when playing on the court. However, the relationships and friendships you have, particularly with someone like Draymond, with whom we have been at odds for more than ten years.

Added Curry: “All that stuff does weigh on you, because you’re trying to figure it out, trying to support him. But also, it’s just basketball, but there’s a lot of stress that you carry to perform while you’re kind of managing all the emotions that were going on. Trying to just be in the right place for each other. It’s a lot, but every year presents a certain challenge. You’ve got to be mentally tough through it all.”

a lot, but every year presents a certain challenge. You’ve got to be mentally tough through it all.”

Perhaps creating more time between his warmup and game time allowed Curry to manage everything better. He prides himself on bouncing back from poor outings — however rare they might be — and played with a high intensity level against Brooklyn.

At one point, Curry motioned the “timeout” signal with his hands to the Brooklyn bench when coach Jacque Vaughn called a timeout — an animated moment for the point guard.

When the Warriors fumbled away an 18-point lead and inserted Curry back in for the last 8:40 of game time, Curry rose to the occasion like it was a playoff game. He scored 12 straight Warriors points, going 7-for-7 from the field in the fourth quarter.

Curry scored sixteen of his 37 points during crucial moments. He remained unwavering even when the Nets deployed double teams against him. His best play came after he emerged from a trap, moved to the corner for a handoff, and banked in a runner while three Nets defenders were positioned around him.

Curry gave a thunderous roar to the cheering Chase Center crowd after his fourth-quarter explosion put the Nets away for good. Curry has always been competitive, but this seemed especially so.

Curry remarked, “It was good to cross the finish line with a win because we hadn’t won in a while.”

Should the valiant endeavor have originated from an alternative regimen, Curry is unlikely to wish to alter it.