The Warriors are thin in the frontcourt and on the wing. Jimmy Butler is out with a knee injury, and the team hopes to have him back early in 2027. Moses Moody has only progressed to light on-court work as he recovers from a ruptured patellar tendon. Kristaps Porzingis is still away from the team for an undisclosed reason. Draymond Green and Al Horford both rested in Las Vegas, so whether either plays Friday says a lot about how seriously Steve Kerr is taking this one.
Even short-handed, Golden State has found something with its bench. The Warriors trailed the Lakers by 20 in the 1st half and were down 63-50 at halftime, then won the 2nd half 51-26. The Lakers turned it over 30 times, and those turnovers became 26 Golden State points. That was the Warriors' 2nd preseason win over LA. It also points to how the Blazers lost the Lakers' best weapon: the opener in Portland was a 5-point game, and Stephen Curry did not make that trip.
Two things matter Friday. Portland is a team still figuring out how Morant, Lillard and Avdija fit together, and it has 1 more chance to work on that before Phoenix comes to Moda Center for the opener on October 21. Golden State gets a look at how deep its depth chart really goes without Butler, Moody and possibly Porzingis. Tipoff is 7:00 PM PT on Friday, October 16. Whatever the score, how long each team plays its regulars will tell you more than the final.