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Draymond Green returns to lineup following Warriors' 3rd loss

Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The Golden State Warriors rested Draymond Green against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday and that led to their third loss in 39 games.

So on Thursday, Green's not taking any chances. He'll be in the lineup for the reigning champions against the Los Angeles Lakers, according to Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle.

The Warriors originally planned to give Green two games off ahead of a three-game road trip featuring tricky stops in Detroit, Cleveland, and Chicago.

Green's absence, however, was too much to overcome against the Nuggets. Interim head coach Luke Walton dusted off the seldom-used Jason Thompson to start at power forward, and he didn't come close to replicating Green's effectiveness on either end.

The Warriors' small-ball unit - known colloquially as the "Death Lineup" - also proved ineffective in Green's absence.

On the season, Green's averaging 15.6 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 7.3 assists in 34.9 minutes per game, and leading the league with eight triple-doubles.

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