Warriors news: Klay Thompson (sprained thumb) to return end of month

Klay Thompson was initially listed as "probable" after the Golden State Warriors' loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, but he was soon downgraded to "questionable" after his sprained thumb showed signs of concern.

Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson is expected to miss the next week with a fractured right thumb, according to Mark Medina of the San Jose Mercury News.

Thompson was initially listed as “probable” after the Golden State Warriors' loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, but he was soon downgraded to “questionable” after his thumb injury showed signs of concern.

He suffered the injury when reaching into a driving Jeff Teague, later seen bothered by the swelling in his hand during an 8-of-22 shooting night against the Timberwolves.

Here is video of the Klay Thompson thumb injury from Sunday. Came late in the first half. Played through it. Warriors fear absence could be longer than initially expected, per @ThompsonScribe. pic.twitter.com/TYPNcBy1TT

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 14, 2018

According to Marcus Thompson of The Athletic, the injury in the marksman's shooting hand could be more than the eyes let on from the start.

“There is a growing concern that (Klay) Thompson’s injury, sustained in Sunday's loss at Minnesota, could cost him some weeks for it to heal and that it’s not a day-to-day thing.”

Thompson has been one of the most durable players for the Warriors, but is now rather expected to return closer to the end of the month, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.

The Warriors are already down Stephen Curry for the next four games (also pending re-evaluation) and have been short of sixth man Andre Iguodala, David West, and Jordan Bell during their recent stretch, going 1-2 without Curry in the starting lineup after a seven-game win streak following the break.

Golden State is now 8-2 in their last 10 games, but trailing the Houston Rockets by two full games in the race for first place in the West.

The Warriors have the easiest remaining schedule in the league, which should play in their favor as they try to navigate the last 15 games of the season, hoping to have a healthy roster by the start of their playoff run, after clinching a spot with the San Antonio Spurs' latest loss.