Faried ‘much better’ after neck injury against Warriors

On January 1, 2015, the Golden State Warriors were the NBA’s early surprise with a 1.5 game lead on Portland for the best record in the league.

OAKLAND, Calif. Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried was taken off the court on a stretcher with a neck brace to stabilize him.

But they had Stephen Curry back after a two-game absence, and for a while, it appeared to make all those other absences moot in a game the Warriors won 111-108 in overtime after blowing several huge leads against the Denver Nuggets. Nelson had a 12-point second quarter and Gallinari enjoyed a 10-point third period as the Nuggets outscored Golden State 64-53 over that 24-minute stretch to get within 90-77 entering the final period.NOTES: The Warriors sold out their 150th consecutive home game, the seventh-longest active streak in the National Basketball Association….

Faried was underneath the basket when Warriors’ Marreese Speights pushed Faried in the back below the neck right into teammate Will Barton, whose elbow inadvertently hits Faried in the head. Before the injury, he already had 15 points on top of 12 rebounds in less than 30 minutes of playing.

Elsewhere on the injury front, center Festus Ezeli (sore toe, left foot) is doubtful, while guard Leandro Barbosa (left shoulder sprain) and forward James Michael McAdoo (sprained toe, left foot) will be out of action. He didn’t play the entire second half.

The 64-year-old Karl, who has previously coached the Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle Supersonics, Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers and Real Madrid, is now level alongside Phil Jackson.

Thunder 109, Hornets 90: Kevin Durant had 29 points and 11 rebounds, and Oklahoma City pulled away in the second half to beat Charlotte.

“I just saw him limping”, interim coach Luke Walton said. “When that day will be, I have no idea”. “We’ll see what the problem is and we’ve got a game tomorrow”. I don’t think he knows, so we just keep going at it ’til he gives us the nod that he’ll be back out there. They’ve spent most of the season without starting forward Harrison Barnes, who has been out with an ankle injury since November 27.

With that said, things couldn’t have been sweeter for Walton as the Warriors await the return of Kerr at the helm. He enjoys playing in front of his father, upstaging “Dell Curry Night” in Charlotte on December 2 by scoring 40 points in three quarters in a 116-99 victory.