Both Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson suffered ankle injuries in the Golden State Warriors' series-clinching win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, giving Warriors fans pause as they prepare to face the Houston Rockets in a rematch of last year's Western Conference Finals.
Although both players were listed as questionable for Game 1 last night, Curry will play, and it appears that Thompson will — at the very least — be active:
Steve Kerr said Klay Thompson will be active regardless. There's been conversation about a possible minutes limit, but they won't firm up plans until after his warm up.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 28, 2019
Despite Thompson being active after an MRI came back clean, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is trying to be cautious with his status given the relative uncertainty of how the ankle might feel in the buildup to Game 1:
Steve Kerr on Klay Thompson's ankle injury: "If this thing is going to get worse, we should not play him today." Warriors will have a better idea after Klay's pre-game warmup
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) April 28, 2019
While the Warriors could certainly use Thompson — especially in terms of guarding James Harden — his long-term health over the course of the series is obviously the priority.
Thompson was not as large of a scoring threat against the Clippers, averaging just over 17 points per game as Kevin Durant carried the scoring load for Golden State. Still, his length and versatility make him invaluable against Houston's backcourt of Harden and Paul, particularly given Curry's struggles guarding both players one-on-one.
Even if Klay Thompson is only able to give the Warriors something closer to 15 or 20 minutes, he could be that added defensive presence that Golden State needs to be able to limit Houston, which is likely why he will be assigned the active status regardless of whether or not he can play a lot of minutes.
Follow Us
Subscribe