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Warriors’ Kevon Looney will play through broken nose

Originally posted on NBA on ClutchPoints
By Jaren Kawada | Last updated Jan 31, 2025 10:35 AM ET

Golden State Warriors center Kevon Looney’s season-best performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder cost him a broken nose injury. However, the injury does not appear likely to cost him any time.

In his heroic 18-point performance against the Thunder, Looney suffered a nasal fracture. However, he will simply apply a face mask and play through the fracture, per The Athletic’s Anthony Slater. The Warriors have two days between their games against Oklahoma City and the Phoenix Suns.

Looney’s 18 points in 25 minutes were a season-high. He added three rebounds, four blocks and two assists while notching a team-high plus-minus of +14. His four blocks were also a season-high, making his game arguably the best two-way performance of his career.

Kevon Looney made moves on both ends of the floor last night with a season-high in points and blocks pic.twitter.com/S7VN6IjunB

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) January 30, 2025

Looney did his damage off the bench, as he has done for most of the year. However, he played behind Quinten Post — who made his first career start in the game — instead of Trayce-Jackson Davis, who did not play in the contest. Looney started the second half over Post, who took the court for just eight minutes.

Powered by Looney’s energy off the bench, the Warriors erased a 14-point deficit to defeat the Thunder 116-109. The thrilling victory bumped them up to 24-23 on the year with eight games remaining until the All-Star break.

Warriors continue six-game home stand against Suns

Golden State Warriors forward Kevon Looney (5) dunks the ball against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the third quarter at the Chase Center. Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Now riding a two-game win streak and victors in three of their last four games, the Warriors have seemingly re-discovered their rhythm on their current six-game home stand. Golden State’s back-to-back wins over the Utah Jazz and Thunder give them the most momentum they have had in months ahead of a matchup with the Suns.

Like the Warriors, the Suns have hit their stride over the last week, playing much better than their record indicates. Phoenix is coming off a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves but is 3-1 in their last four games and 8-1 in their last 11.

Both the Suns and Warriors are two of the top teams to monitor ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Both teams are involved in the ongoing Jimmy Butler saga, with Golden State likely shopping Jonathan Kuminga and Phoenix potentially moving Bradley Beal. Kuminga, however, has been out since Jan. 4 with an ankle injury.

This article first appeared on NBA on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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