Steph Curry is still out for at least the next few games. There's no timetable for Andrew Wiggins' return from an excused personal absence. Gary Payton II is definitely more than a month of away from playing, and the true nature Andre Iguodala's status is pretty much completely unknown. The last thing the Golden State Warriors need, obviously, is for another key contributor to go down. With that reality in mind, don't be surprised if they're even more short-handed than initially anticipated against the Houston Rockets.

Draymond Green is listed as questionable on the injury report for Friday's matchup with Houston due to a right knee contusion. The 33-year-old banged his knee during the Warriors' ugly loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night in Southern California, sitting out the fourth quarter as Steve Kerr waived the white flag early.

Needless to say, Golden State isn't exactly equipped to withstand the absence of Green with Curry and Wiggins sidelined. He's not just this team's defensive bellwether, but a pivotal presence on the other given his ability to push pace, organize halfcourt offense and help create open shots for the likes of Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson with screens, hand-offs and backdoor passes.

But Houston might be the league's worst team, finally moved rock solid veteran Eric Gordon at the trade deadline and is down both Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. on Friday. The Warriors surely don't want to take any chances of exacerbating Green's discomfort on the second leg of a traveling back-to-back, either. If there was ever a game they could win without Curry, Wiggins and Green, this should be it.

Keep an eye on Golden State's injury report as the 7:00 p.m. (PT) tip nears. Whether Green plays or not, though, it's imperative Golden State beats the bottom-dwelling Rockets at Chase Center.