SAN FRANCISCO — Steph Curry’s knees had been bothering him sufficient for the Warriors to carry him out on the entrance finish of a back-to-back, sidelining him for his or her Tuesday evening recreation in opposition to Utah.
“With the back-to-back, we’re hopeful that he’ll play tomorrow,” head coach Steve Kerr mentioned pregame. “But it felt like with three games in the next four nights, with his knees where they are, let’s be smart about it and go from there.”
Kerr mentioned Curry’s knees flared up when he got here in for an early exercise. On the coaching desk with director of sports activities drugs and efficiency Rick Celebrini, they determined it could be greatest to relaxation in opposition to the Jazz.
Curry can be coping with a thumb harm on his capturing hand, however insists on not making that an excuse. Within the first recreation after he jammed his thumb, he went 8-for-8 in a blowout win over the 76ers.
An All-Star for the eleventh time in his profession, Curry is averaging 22.3 factors and 6.4 assists whereas going through defenses that promote out to gradual him down on a nightly foundation.
Curry hadn’t performed each ends of a back-to-back after his knee soreness started in November till final week. Kerr mentioned he hoped that’d be the established order going ahead, however the whole lot is topic to vary in terms of the 36-year-old’s well being.
“This is all part of just being proactive,” Kerr mentioned. “We take it kind of day-to-day, week-to-week. It made sense to give him the night off, try to get him right for the rest of the week.”
Curry’s harm means the Warriors might be with out their three greatest gamers in Curry, Draymond Inexperienced and Jonathan Kuminga. Inexperienced gained’t play till subsequent week, whereas Kuminga gained’t return earlier than the Feb. 6 commerce deadline from the numerous ankle harm he suffered on Jan. 4.
It’s not a foul evening for Golden State to be shorthanded. The Jazz’s harm report contains Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler, Jordan Clarkson, John Collins, Taylor Hendricks, Cody Williams and Johnny Juzang.
The Warriors began Dennis Schroder, Buddy Hield, Andrew Wiggins, Moses Moody and Trayce Jackson-Davis. Rookie middle Quinten Put up can even issue into the rotation, as he has for the previous three video games.
Tuesday is Curry’s ninth missed recreation of the season. Gamers can’t miss greater than 17 to be eligible for end-of-season awards like All-NBA.
