Warriors' Stephen Curry, Draymond Green out vs. Pelicans

The Golden State Warriors are currently tied with the Phoenix Suns atop the Western Conference standings at 29-8. Thus, they can afford to rest some recognizable names for Thursday's game at the 13-25 New Orleans Pelicans.

According to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN, Golden State stars Stephen Curry and Draymond Green will sit out Thursday's matchup because of injury issues. Curry hurt his quad during the third quarter of Wednesday's 99-82 loss to the Dallas Mavericks but said he hopes the issue won't cost him multiple contests. 

Green also played Wednesday but has a sore left hip and recently spent time in the NBA's health and safety protocols related to COVID-19. 

Curry already has two NBA Most Valuable Player Awards on his Hall of Fame resume and is an early candidate to win his third. Per ESPN stats, he's fifth in the league in scoring with 26.8 points per game, and he leads what may be the best overall squad in the NBA with a 22.21 player efficiency rating. 

Following Thursday evening, the Warriors host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday for a showdown that may include the much-anticipated return of guard Klay Thompson.