The Golden State Warriors have not played since Jan. 15, when they lost to the Memphis Grizzlies at home. The Warriors' next two contests against the Utah Jazz and Dallas Mavericks were postponed by the NBA following the death of their assistant coach Dejan Milojevic.
The team was in a Salt Lake City restaurant for dinner when Milojevic suffered a heart attack. He was pronounced dead at the hospital on the day of the Warriors' game against the Jazz on Jan. 17. That's when the league decided to postpone the matchup.
Golden State's game versus the Mavericks two days later was also rescheduled for later in the season. The two postponed games gave the Warriors enough time to grieve Milojevic, who was 46 at the time of his death.
They will be back in action on Wednesday at the Chase Center against the Atlanta Hawks.
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According to the San Francisco Chronicle, almost the entire Golden State Warriors squad and staff witnessed Dejan Milojevic suffer a heart attack. It was undoubtedly a traumatic experience for everyone, so the Warriors understandably made counseling available if needed:
"It's just the saddest thing I've ever been a part of in the NBA where we lose someone who's so close to us and then, more importantly, seeing his family suffer," Steve Kerr told reporters on Monday during the team's first practice after Milojevic's death.
"So this last week has been, the last five days, I guess, has been full of all of the above. The shock, the emotion, the extreme outpouring of love from all over the world."
Golden State Warriors schedule for 2023-24 season, key matchups and more
The Golden State Warriors have 42 games remaining on their 2023-24 season schedule.
The Warriors have the ninth easiest schedule in the NBA, based on Tankathon's Remaining Schedule Strength. They have a chance to make up for their poor losses they suffered earlier in the season.
However, Steve Kerr will need to figure out a more consistent rotation he can use for the rest of the campaign. Some of their toughest opponents remaining are the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers (twice), Denver Nuggets and LA Clippers.
Golden State also has some relatively easier matchups against teams like the Washington Wizards, San Antonio Spurs thrice, Charlotte Hornets twice, Portland Trail Blazers, Toronto Raptors and Memphis Grizzlies (twice).
Warriors Nation! You can check out the latest Golden State Warriors Schedule and dive into the Warriors Depth Chart for NBA Season 2024-25.