While Stephen Curry is trending in the right direction, the same cannot be said for Golden State Warriors small ball starting center Draymond Green.
Green, who missed their 109-99 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on March 13, is still questionable to play against the Los Angeles Lakers this Saturday, March 16.
“My back has been bothering me for like four or five games and I’ve kind of been going through it like just playing through it and playing through it,” Green said on his podcast on Thursday, March 14. “They’re doing things to get me back to a good space to go in the game and then third quarter or so it just locks all the way back up and you’re grinding through the rest of the game just trying to get to the end.
“Next day, not in a good space, can’t really get on the court even if wanted to get some work in, and then getting it back to a good space to go back out there and play.”
Green, the backbone of the Warriors’ defense, is still hoping he could return sooner rather than later.
“And so the hope is that in not having a game since Monday for myself, not playing in the Dallas [Mavericks] game, that those extra couple of days will allow it to go away because it’s just no fun.”
Rookie’s Time to Shine
The 10th-place Warriors were 16-9 since Green returned from his second suspension on Jan. 15 before he skipped the Dallas road game with his back issues.
If he misses Saturday’s crucial match against the 9th-place Lakers, rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis will continue to start while Kevon Looney can earn his way back into the rotation while Dario Saric could see increased playing time.
The 6-foot-9 Jackson-Davis will have his hands against Lakers star Anthony Davis, who is raring to bounce back after drawing flak following another loss to Domantas Sabonis, who is now 10-0 against him.
Steph Curry Plans to Play vs. Lakers
Curry is also listed as questionable but he plans to play after rejoining the Warriors team practice in Los Angeles on Friday, March 15.
“That’s the plan. … Nice to be back with the team. Good energy going,” Curry told reporters, per Sam Gordon of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Curry missed the Warriors’ last three games with a right ankle sprain.
“You can’t fast-forward or cheat the healing process,” Curry told reporters after Friday’s practice in Los Angeles. “There are some that are kinda on the fence with whether you can push through it and not make it worse, just deal with the pain.”
He was cautious in his approach and took some time off because it’s the same type of injury that hounded him in the early parts of his NBA career before his rise to superstardom. So he knows fully well how tricky this type of injury is.
“I’ve been through all types of injuries and this one was one where there was a certain time frame to let my ankle heal,” Curry continued. “And then have a little bit of work on the court to build back up. It’s tough to miss games, but you’ve gotta understand you can’t make things worse. Especially with what time of year we’re in right now.”
Warriors’ Steph Curry on the nature of his ankle injury
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Warriors Receive Concerning Update on Draymond Green: ‘It’s Just No Fun’