Warriors well-rested to host Pistons after getting routed
The Golden State Warriors find themselves in the rather unusual position of being fairly well rested when they complete a back-to-back Sunday night by hosting the Detroit Pistons in Oakland, Calif. Golden State rested star Stephen Curry, as well as veteran backups Shaun Livingston and Andrew Bogut, for Saturday's home game against the Dallas Mavericks. The two-time defending champions then went out and jogged through a 126-91 loss at the hands of the Mavs, a game so one-sided, Warriors coach Steve Kerr was able to sit his top players alongside Curry for the entire fourth quarter. The Pistons, meanwhile, had neither the time nor the reason to celebrate Saturday night. Like the Warriors, the Pistons took a 117-112 loss at Portland in the opener of a back-to-back sequence. Unlike his Golden State counterpart, however, Detroit coach Dwane Casey burned his starters to the bitter end in a game that started 90 minutes later than the Golden State-Dallas contest. The Pistons then had to make the 90-minute flight into the San Francisco Bay Area, finally getting settled well into the morning on a day in which they're scheduled for an early (5:30 p.m. Pacific) start. It's not the only difficult scheduling the Pistons (37-35) must manage as they attempt to fend off Miami, Brooklyn and Orlando in a four-team battle for the final three playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. Detroit must still endure a trip-ending visit to Denver, before returning home for a critical matchup with the Magic. The Pistons' next four games after that will have them facing the Trail Blazers again, before a home-and-home sequence with Indiana, and then a meeting with Oklahoma City. Given the tough circumstances, it's possible the highlight of the evening Sunday will be when Zaza Pachulia receives his championship ring in a pregame ceremony for having contributed to Golden State's 2018 championship. Pachulia, who also was a member of the Warriors' 2017 title team, left the organization as a free agent after Golden State signed DeMarcus Cousins in the offseason. The veteran squeezed 17 points and 12 rebounds into 26 minutes in the Warriors' playoff run last season. Now he's trying to set a championship-type tone in Detroit. "It was a privilege to play at Oracle Arena," Pachulia said of Golden State's home arena. "It was electric. It was beautiful to play out there every single night, and in the playoffs, it was insane. "Hopefully, the fans (in Detroit) are going to start supporting us and have a sellout crowd in the playoffs. It's going to be huge for us. I know for sure it's going to be a great help. It's something we really haven't felt throughout the season." Little Caesars Arena was packed with 20,332 when the Warriors visited in December. The Pistons responded with one of their best efforts of the season in a 111-102 victory. The Warriors didn't have Draymond Green or Cousins that night, and were playing in the wake of an overtime loss at Toronto. This time around, it's possible the Warriors (49-23) could have all hands on deck, and even a rested Curry, for the rematch. "Steph is there for us every single game, and the way he moves and the energy he expends ... it's just a great night to give him the game night off with the back-to-back," Warriors coach Steve Kerr explained to reporters before Saturday's game. "We have to make sure we cover our bases without him." --Field Level Media |