With Barnes out, Warriors experiment with new lineups

Rush among Warriors who have stepped up in forward’s absence

OAKLAND — Harrison Barnes had been such a reliable component to the Warriors’ rotations — 205 consecutive games, 120 straight starts — that they hadn’t needed to do a lot of lineup experimentation that didn’t include him.

That all changed when Barnes missed his first game in nearly three seasons Saturday against the Sacramento Kings. Interim coach Luke Walton, after brainstorming with ailing head coach Steve Kerr, went to a number of novel lineups either rarely employed or never seen before in achieving the team’s 18th win without a loss.

The lineup laboratory work likely will continue on the Warriors’ seven-game trip, which begins Monday night in Salt Lake City against the Utah Jazz, for as long as Barnes is out with a left ankle sprain. That is expected to be at least a week, which will cover four games of the trip, and he could possibly miss them all even though he’ll be along for the entire ride.

Barnes isn’t scheduled to be re-evaluated for a week and has no timetable on his return, the team said Sunday.

Brandon Rush, who started in place of Barnes and delivered an explosive 7½-minute third quarter stint, wasn’t the only revelation. Big man Marreese Speights, who has been aching to get back in the mix, played 17 minutes and was effective, scoring 13 with five rebounds. Veteran guard Leandro Barbosa played 21 minutes, including a good chunk alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

Even end-of-the-bench guard Ian Clark got some important time, playing alongside Curry and Thompson in a threeguard alignment. Within the groupings, Draymond Green played both big and small forward, and Speights played both center and power forward.

“It’s kind of a learning curve right now, because we use Harrison at so many different positions, we’ve got to find rotations that we haven’t had to use before,” Walton said. “So we’re going to keep trying different things.

“We know we’re going to need contributions from Mo and other guys, so we’re going to keep getting them out there,” he continued. “If it ends up an awkward lineup, we’re going to ride with it for a while and see how it goes. We’ll get a better feel for life without Harrison until we can get him back.”

The Warriors went with 13 lineup combinations over the first 3½ quarters until the reserves played out the finish, although they never attempted a “small ball” grouping except for the final 13 seconds of the first half (Curry, Thompson, Clark, Andre Iguodala and Green).

Depending on matchups, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Warriors utilize forwards Jason Thompson and James Michael McAdoo in certain situations on this trip as well. Barnes’ absence is a significant handicap, but it’s also a chance to test-drive some combinations that could be implemented even when he returns if they prove successful.

Without question, Rush could become a more important figure even when Barnes is back if he can continue to deliver the kind of results he did Saturday — 16 points, including 14 in the third quarter, with four 3-point baskets in five attempts. Rush said it was on his mind to try to replicate Barnes’ game as best he could throughout his 19½ minutes on the floor.

“The way he positions himself, the way he rebounds, how he knocks down shots and the way he attacks the rim,” Rush said. “I think it was pretty comparable to what Harrison usually does on a given night. He’s a big loss for us, but we have guys who can step up.”

Barnes was impressed with Rush’s stand-in performance.

“B-Rush played great,” he said. “To have a game like that, hopefully he can get some confidence going and build on it.”

Rush said he could not have handled such an assignment last season. He was still shaky on the left knee that required major repairs on both his ACL and MCL from the gruesome injury he suffered in the second game of the 2012-13 season.

Rush played 5-on-5 basketball throughout the offseason to try to be fully prepared this year. He feels he is close to being all the way back and never questioned whether he could do it.

“I had no doubts at all,” he said. “I know what I can do with my athletic ability and my shooting ability. I had a bad injury. I knew it was going to take a couple of years to get back right. I feel so much better. I feel like I can attack, and I don’t have any pain or soreness.”