Warriors' Record Without Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant is Ominous Ahead of NBA Finals Game 3

Cover Photo: Getty Images

It almost goes without saying, but the Golden State Warriors have one of the most loaded lineups in basketball. However, the Warriors will have to make do without Kevin Durant in Game 3 against the Toronto Raptors, and they may be without Klay Thompson as well.

Unfortunately for Golden State, that does not bode well for the Warriors' chances Wednesday night.

Reporting with @ramonashelburne: Golden State officials prefer Klay Thompson sit out Game 3 to protect his sore hamstring for the rest of NBA Finals, but Thompson has continued to lobby them on playing tonight. Decision looms prior to tip.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 5, 2019

Even though the team can still count on studs like Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala, the Warriors are just 3-5 in games that both Durant and Thompson sit out.

Golden State has actually been even worse against the spread (ATS) when Durant and Thompson are out, going just 2-6 ATS in such contests.

The Warriors are 4.5-point favorites against the Raptors in Game 3, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, but their record indicates Golden State could struggle to cover this spread if Thompson doesn't take the floor.

"This could be a longer series, so there's no point in trying to go out there and re-aggravate it and potentially keep myself out of the whole entire Finals instead of just one game."

—Klay Thompson on his injury pic.twitter.com/6kO2y8ecoA
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 4, 2019

Of course, it's fair to expect a bit of a drop off for any team when two All-NBA-caliber players miss a game. Still, this stat could illustrate just how important Thompson is to Golden State, as the Warriors are 30-2 in games Curry plays, but Durant sits.

While the Warriors are in the midst of a historically-dominant, five-year run, this team could struggle against Toronto if Thompson can't suit up for Game 3.

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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.