Report: 'Slight chance' Warriors' Barnes returns on Christmas

Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes appears close to returning from what's proven to be a debilitating left ankle sprain.

Barnes - who'll miss his 11th straight game Wednesday night - has a "slight chance" of returning for the Warriors' NBA Finals rematch with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Christmas Day, a source told Yahoo Sports' Marc J. Spears.

The Warriors are 9-1 since Barnes' injury (they were 17-0 when he got hurt) but have felt his absence more than their record without him indicates. They've narrowly escaped with three-point wins over the Utah Jazz and Toronto Raptors, and needed double-overtime to get past the Boston Celtics. They got beaten up by a Milwaukee Bucks team that turned around and got hammered by the Los Angeles Lakers, and then needed to come back from 11 points down to beat the Bucks a week later.

The fourth-year swingman was off to a career-best start before the injury, averaging 13.4 points and five rebounds, while shooting 50 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from 3-point range. The Warriors outscored opponents by 17.3 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor, and have been 5.4 points per 100 possessions worse with him on the bench.