Airplane Issues Could Affect Warriors Chances Against Raptors

The Golden State Warriors have been on quite a run lately. After dropping to four games under the .500 mark on February 3rd, Stephen Curry and company have won ten of their last twelve, and are making a threat to the top-8 in the Western Conference as they enter the final 24-game stretch of the season.

Warriors Flight To Toronto Delayed Over 5 Hours

The Warriors plane was delayed getting out of New York last night, I’m told. Mechanical issue. They didn’t take off until nearly 5 a.m. Didn’t land until after 6 a.m. The team didn’t get to their hotel in Toronto until after 7 a.m. They face the Raptors tonight.

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 1, 2024

There hasn’t been much that has worked lately around the league in terms of slowing down Golden State, but a major delay due to travel issues could affect the team for the final two games of their road trip.

They defeated the Knicks handily in New York on Thursday night. Immediately following the game, they were scheduled to make the short flight to Toronto, where they would get in at a late but manageable hour. They had a game scheduled for the following evening, a Friday night date against the Raptors, and were looking to get some rest before the second of a back-to-back.

But according to reports from Warriors’ beat writers, the team didn’t get into their hotel rooms in Toronto until 7am.

An apparent mechanical issue with the team’s plane caused a massive delay. Instead of flying out some time around midnight, they instead didn’t take off until 5am, and touched down in Toronto an hour later.

Will Golden State’s Fatigue Help The Raptors?

DUBS WIN pic.twitter.com/uaGAhBBdFx

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) March 1, 2024

Any back-t0-back is tough when playing across the country, but the flight delay will make this one an even bigger challenge. Professional athletes are creatures of habit, and an interrupted routine during a tough stretch in the schedule can have adverse effects on game play.

As a silver lining, it isn’t as though the Raptors are championship favorites. They are in 12th place in the Eastern Conference and 15 games under .500, and already lost to the Warriors by 15 points earlier this season. But the line is just 2.5 in favor of Golden State, who will pass the Lakers in the standings by way of winning percentage should they come out victorious.

The Warriors will wrap up their road trip with one of the biggest games remaining on their schedule. They’ll take on the Boston Celtics at 3:30 Eastern on Sunday.