Warriors News: DeMarcus Cousins, Andre Iguodala, Damian Jones Out vs. Pistons

John Hefti/Associated Press

The Golden State Warriors announced that big men DeMarcus Cousins and Damian Jones and guard/forward Andre Iguodala are out Sunday versus the Detroit Pistons.

Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated posted the reasons why, also noting that big man Kevon Looney is questionable:

Golden State will host Detroit at 8:30 p.m. ET.

The 49-23 Warriors are still the heavy favorites over the 37-35 Pistons, with Vegas Insider giving them a 10-point edge.

While it's unideal to be without two key players when the Warriors are fighting the 49-22 Denver Nuggets for the Western Conference's No. 1 seed, resting them both is a smart move.

Cousins is still working his way back from a ruptured Achilles that kept him out for a year, and the 35-year-old Iguodala has accumulated much mileage during his 14-year career.

The Warriors need them at their best in the two-month-long playoffs, and if sitting a few games down the stretch accomplishes that objective, then this is for the best.

The bigger problem may appear to be the Warriors' recent sluggish play as evidenced by an 8-8 stretch. The nadir occurred Saturday with a 126-91 home loss to the 29-44 Dallas Mavericks. Granted, the Warriors were without Stephen Curry, but the rest of the starting lineup was intact.

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But the Warriors struggled at the end of last season, going 7-10 in their final 17 games while resting some players. The situation was a bit different then, with the Warriors all but locking up the No. 2 seed late in the year, but Golden State has been able to turn on the postseason jets despite a slow regular-season ending.

Provided Cousins' and Iguodala's rest lasts for one game only, they'll take the court on Wednesday at the Memphis Grizzlies.