Nicolas Batum vs. Andre Iguodala
The last time the Trail Blazers faced the Warriors, Nicolas Batum finished with 14 points on five of nine shooting from the field and two of four shooting from three to go along with four assists, three rebounds and two steals in 40 minutes. Portland would go on to win 113-101 in overtime at Oracle Arena for what was at the time their tenth consecutive victory.
While it was a great victory, it came with one caveat: The Warriors were playing without their starting small forward Andre Iguodala. The game against the Trail Blazers was the first of 12 games Iguodala would miss with a strained left hamstring. And while second-year forward Harrison Barnes did an admirable job in his stead, he doesn't provide the leadership, ball handling and defense that Iguodala brings in his tenth season out of Arizona.
But this time, Iguodala will be ready to play. After going a combined seven of 27 in a four games in five nights stretch last week, the 6-6 forward bounced back with a 16-point performance on six of nine shooting in a 121-120 loss to the Timberwolves on Friday. It'll be up to Batum to see if he can help Iguodala back into a shooting slump.
Nicolas Batum
• Is averaging 9.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.9 assists in his last 10 games despite playing with a broken left middle finger
• Ranks 20th among all NBA players and fifth among small forwards in three-pointers made with 79
• Is second among small forwards in total assists (244), fourth in minutes (1,542), fifth in rebounds (287) and seventh in blocks (29)
Andre Iguodala
• The Warriors have gone 21-11 with Iguodala in the lineup and just 5-7 when he he sits out
• On the season, Iguodala is shooting 55 percent from the field in wins and just 43 percent from the field in losses
• Is shooting just 60 percent from the free throw line, nearly a career-low, but is shooting 43 percent from three, well above his career average of 33 percent