The Golden State Warriors will take on the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night as they look to extend their winning streak to 23. The Warriors come into the game at 22-0 which is the best record in the NBA while the Pacers come in at 12-7 which is good for second in the Eastern Conference. Many people see this as the game the Warriors might lose but we will have to wait and see.
Golden State had a close call this weekend against the Toronto Raptors when Steph Curry and Kyle Lowry went at each other and each dropped 40 plus but Curry got the better of the battle and the Warriors won by three. Curry is having another ridiculous season as he leads the NBA with his 35.2 PER and he is shooting a ridiculous 47 percent from three on almost 250 attempts. Curry is once again the leader in the MVP race through about a quarter of the season.
Aside from Curry, Draymond Green is having a tremendous season as well, as he has played some center in a lineup that has been almost un-guardable for the Warriors this season. Green has brought his customary defense this season but his offensive numbers are easily All-Star worthy as he is averaging 13.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game while making 39 percent of his threes.
Of note for the Warriors is the fact that Harrison Barnes will not be available in this game and is expected to miss the remainder of their road trip. Barnes has missed Golden State's last five games as he is dealing with an ankle injury. In Barnes' place Brandon Rush has been starting and has played pretty well in his limited time on the court.
The Pacers have been one of the pleasant surprises in the NBA this year as people were unsure of what to expect from them but they have played very well. The Pacers have lost their last two games after a six game winning streak but they are still one of the best teams in the East.
Paul George has had a resurgent season so far as he is averaging 27.6 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game while making 45 percent of his three pointers. George is clearly fully back after the horrific leg injury he suffered two summers ago and if it weren't for that guy on the Warriors he might be the early MVP frontrunner.
While George has been great this season he has gotten help from C.J. Miles who is playing a lot of power forward this season. Miles is second on the team in PER (17.2) and points per game (15.6) and his 44 percent three point shooting clip has had people calling him and George "Splash Brothers East" which is a reference to Curry and Klay Thompson who are referred to as the "Splash Brothers."
On the injury front the Pacers are relatively healthy with the exception of rookie Myles Turner who had thumb surgery in the middle of November and was given a six week timetable. Turner was in the Pacers rotation but he was averaging less than 16 minutes per game.
This is the first meeting between these two teams this year but last year they split the two meetings. George didn't play in either game but the Pacers were able to beat the Warriors in a game that Curry missed.
The game is scheduled to tip off at 7 P.M. Eastern time and to watch the live broadcast go here. For the Warriors radio broadcast go here and for the Pacers radio broadcast go here.
