The Golden State Warriors are, remarkably, playing their third back-to-back of the season, and it’s the second time that they’ve had to travel between the games. This time they’re just headed up the road,
to visit the Sacramento Kings.
You’ve got to feel for the fans who purchased expensive tickets to this game when the schedule was first released. Little did they know that virtually all the stars would be sidelined, but that’s exactly the case, as these are two highly banged up teams. Here’s the full injury report.
Warriors
Out — Steph Curry (illness)
We knew after Tuesday’s win over the Phoenix Suns that Curry would get today’s game off. He came to the podium sounding very sick, and while he said he would try to play against the Kings, Steve Kerr immediately shut that idea down. Hopefully he’s good to go by Friday.
Out — Jimmy Butler III (right lower back strain)
Butler popped up on the injury report for Tuesday’s game as questionable, and ended up suiting up after being a game-time decision. It didn’t go so well, as he didn’t look all that spry, and left the game in the second quarter and never returned. It seemed all but guaranteed that, as a result, he would miss this game, and here he is. Backs are no joke, so hopefully this isn’t an issue that lingers long term.
Out — Draymond Green (right rib contusion)
It very well could be that this is just generic load management for Green under the guise of an injury. Perhaps if Curry and Butler were playing, Green would be suiting up. But we know that Kerr likes to have the occasional game where all the big guns sit, and everyone else gets a chance to lead the team to an improbable victory.
Out — De’Anthony Melton (left ACL surgery)
Same old, same old for Melton. He’ll be re-evaluated soon.
Out — Alex Toohey (left knee injury recovery)
Still no update on Toohey. Probably won’t see him for a while.
Available — Brandin Podziemski (left wrist soreness)
Thankfully Podz is able to play despite a banged-up wrist. He should get a ton of minutes.
Kings
Out — Domantas Sabonis (left ribcage contusion)
The Warriors gave Al Horford a day off against Mark Williams so that he could play against Sabonis and instead, Sabonis is sidelined. The three-time All-Star is leading the league in rebounds for the fourth straight season, so this certainly makes life easier for the Warriors.
Out — Zach LaVine (low back soreness)
Two athletic players missing this game with back soreness. It’s the first absence of the year for LaVine, who is averaging 27.4 points per game.
Out — Keegan Murray (left thumb UCL injury recovery)
The Kings raised a whole lot of eyebrows when they inked Murray to a five-year, $140 million contract extension this offseason. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to make that deal worth it just yet, as he hasn’t made his season debut.
Yep, that’s a whole lot of talent missing on both sides! Enjoy the game, everyone — it tips off at 7:00 p.m. PT on NBC Sports Bay Area.
