The Warriors won their seventh straight road game against the New York Knicks Thursday night, but lost their race with the sun upon their eventual arrival in Toronto.
The second night of back-to-back games on an Eastern road swing Friday night will include some bleary eyes when the Warriors (31-27) visit the Toronto Raptors (22-37).
A Warriors team source confirmed the club sat on the tarmac in Newark, N.J., for several hours after conclusion of their 110-99 win over the Knicks, awaiting a new chartered flight because their original one had mechanical issues.
By the time the Warriors got their new plane and departed, it was after 5 a.m. They landed in Toronto approximately an hour later and didn’t get into their team hotel until 7:15 a.m.
Having won the first two games of their road trip against Washington and New York, the Warriors have a chance at a 3-0 record on the trip heading into Sunday’s showdown with the Boston Celtics at Boston Garden.
Even with NBA charters having ample room for players to stretch out and get some shut eye, it’s far from an ideal scenario in terms of rest and recovery. Whether coach Steve Kerr reduces the amount of playing time for veterans such as Stephen Curry and Draymond Green or has them sit out in anticipation of the Celtics game will be determined at some point before tipoff at 4:30 p.m.
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The Warriors have caught fire of late with the help of a youthful infusion from forward Jonathan Kuminga and guard Brandin Podziemski, and in the last two games from forward Moses Moody. All are 21 years old, with Kuminga and Moody in their third season and Podziemski a rookie out of Santa Clara.
Kuminga scored 25 points against the Knicks and has scored in double figures in 37 of the last 30 games with 20-plus in the last two.
“We’re interested in winning every game but we’re also trying to fortify our future as a franchise,” Kerr told reporters before the flight delay. “They’re really playing well, coming into their own. I think that’s how it works in this league. Brandin is kind of an outlier to come in and start like he has.”
Working in the Warriors favor is that they’re relatively healthy and Kerr has a deep bench, particularly since Chris Paul returned two games ago and with Klay Thompson moving into a sixth-man role.
Moody, who drew the difficult assignment of defending Knicks leading scorer Jalen Brunson Thursday night, has started the last two games in place of Andrew Wiggins, who is out with a personal issue.