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The Golden State Warriors were left without one of their starters for a key matchup after what the team’s coach described as a “scary” practice incident.
The team announced just before Wednesday’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers that Kelly Oubre Jr. had been ruled out for the game. As Wes Goldberg of the Mercury News reported, Oubre suffered a sprained left wrist after falling hard to the floor after a dunk attempt in practice. The full extent of the injury was not yet known, including whether it could keep him out beyond Wednesday’s matchup.
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Incident Called ‘Scary’
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr shed some light on the injury ahead of Wednesday’s game, saying it was a frightening moment when Oubre went down hard.
“It was scary,” Kerr said.
Oubre has emerged as one of the team’s most productive scorers and the top scoring option behind Steph Curry. He has averaged 20.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists over the last 15 games, earning a midseason grade of “A” from the USA Today’s Warriors Wire.
The report noted that he was particularly sharp in the last month and looks to be a key part of the team’s playoff push.
“After a messy start of his stint as a member of the Golden State Warriors, Kelly Oubre Jr. quickly turned things around in the month of February,” the report noted. “Along with providing his tenacious energy, Oubre Jr. served as a consistent secondary scoring option alongside Steph Curry.”
Oubre will now miss a critical contest where the Warriors have a chance to move up the playoff ladder in a tightly packed Western Conference. The 19-16 Warriors entered the game in eighth place in the conference, looking to gain ground on the 19-14 Trail Blazers.
Warriors Dealing With Other Injuries
Oubre isn’t the only starter dealing with an injury. Draymond Green left Sunday’s blowout loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the second quarter after rolling his left ankle. Kerr said after the game that it was a different injury than the soreness that kept Green out of a February 17 game against the Miami Heat, but added that it was not considered to be too serious.
“I talked to him at halftime,” Kerr said, via the San Francisco Chronicle. “He didn’t think it was too bad.”
Though he left Sunday’s game early, Green was able to practice fully on Tuesday and was set to return to action against the Trail Blazers.
As NBC Sports noted, losing Green could have been a critical blow, as he has been one of the top facilitators on offense in recent weeks. The big man led all NBA players in total assists for the month of February.
Kerr said it was not yet clear whether Oubre would be out for the team’s game against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday. Oubre could have some time to rest in the near future, with the All-Star break giving the team a week off before they return to action against the Los Angeles Clippers on March 11.
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