The Golden State Warriors could be without their three most experienced players when they make the quick trip to Sacramento to face the Kings on Wednesday night.
Stephen Curry has been ruled out with illness, Jimmy Butler III is questionable due to lower back soreness, and Draymond Green likely will be rested.
Despite struggling with a cold, Curry still scored 28 points in Golden State’s 118-107 win over the Phoenix Suns in San Francisco on Tuesday.
The likely absence of their three stars — who have a combined 21 All-Star appearances and eight championships — would give the Warriors an uncharacteristically youthful look for the second leg of their back-to-back set.
“He’s wiped out right now,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said of Curry. “I don’t care what the doctors say, we’ve got to get him some rest. I’ll make the decision right now — he’s not going to play tomorrow (Wednesday). He needs rest, he’s been sick. All the travel, everything, has just caught up to him. Hopefully get him some rest and he’ll be ready to go for Denver (Friday).”
A coughing and sniffling Curry hinted his long-term health would be prioritized amid the Warriors’ hectic schedule.
“I need a day to kick it to the curb and get back to full strength,” Curry said. “… I’ll monitor it and see how it goes, but I want to be 100% for the long term.”
Butler exited the Phoenix game with 7:04 to play in the second quarter and did not return.
“(Butler) was questionable for a reason,” Kerr said. “He felt like he could go, then he tweaked it a little bit, so we took him out. He’s questionable for (Wednesday) as well … we’ll have to assess where he (Green) is as well. We’ve got a great challenge ahead to try to win a game short-handed. I’m excited for all the guys who are going to be playing (on Wednesday).”
Regardless of the construction of Golden State’s lineup, Sacramento cannot afford a sluggish start like it produced in Monday’s 130-124 road loss to the Nuggets.
The Kings conceded 39 first-quarter points and chased Denver the rest of the night.
The biggest positive was a season-best performance from Russell Westbrook. He received a warm ovation from the Denver crowd and wound back the clock against the team with which he played last season, compiling 26 points, 12 boards and six assists.
“I love the energy that Russ brings,” Christie said. “(Playing) 37 minutes — you don’t always want to play him that much, but he competes at a super, super high level. (He’s) a model for what I want as a player that competes. I love what Russ brings.”
