Cover Photo: Getty Images 


When most teams lose an All-NBA player, they understandably struggle. Just look at the Los Angeles Lakers without LeBron James or the Philadelphia 76ers without Joel Embiid this season. 


Well, that same logic doesn't apply to the Golden State Warriors, apparently. That's because in games that Kevin Durant sits and Steph Curry plays, the Warriors are now a staggering 22-1 since the former MVP joined the team in 2016.  

The Warriors won without Durant on the floor once again Wednesday night, defeating the Houston Rockets, 106-104. This was also the Warriors' first win over the Rockets this season, as Golden State was 0-3 against Houston prior to last night. 


The Rockets came into this matchup as winners of nine straight games, but they couldn't overcome monstrous performances from Klay Thompson and DeMarcus Cousins. Thompson dropped 30 points, and Cousins played his best game as a Warrior, totaling 27 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. 

Even with Curry shooting just 40.0 percent from the field amid Durant's absence Wednesday night, the Warriors still had enough weapons to outscore the Rockets. As long as Curry stays on the court, this certainly doesn't bode well for the rest of the Western Conference playoff hopefuls. 


There are a ton of rumors suggesting Durant could leave Golden State this offseason, and some NBA fans would surely like to see the Warriors finally take a hit. But anyone who thinks this Warriors' dynasty is coming to an end once Durant leaves might want to think again.  

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Max Staley is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Max Staley also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mstaley1212. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.