The Golden State Warriors “gift-wrapped” the short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves a win on Wednesday night, wasting a 14-point fourth-quarter lead while falling apart in crunch time once again en route to another frustrating loss. Unfortunately for the defending champions, they may not get the opportunity to make up for their late-game woes 24 hours later against another Western Conference playoff contender.
Both Steph Curry and Draymond Green were initially listed as questionable on the Warriors' official injury report for Thursday's matchup with Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, while Klay Thompson has already been ruled out for the second leg of a tough back-to-back at altitude. Fellow four-time champion Andre Iguodala will remain sidelined by right hip soreness.
The good news for the Dubs is that both Curry and Green were both cleared to play an hour or so before tip-off.
Curry and Green have already missed multiple back-to-backs, most recently on January 20th when the Warriors' B-team beat the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road, and both played their second-most minutes in a single game this season during Wednesday's overtime loss to the Timberwolves. Curry's official injury designation is left shoulder soreness; Green's is right foot soreness.
Thompson played 40 minutes in Minneapolis, also the second-most he's notched this season. Though Steve Kerr said a few weeks ago that Golden State hoped to have the 32-year-old play both sides of a back-to-back at some point, that's yet to happen and never seemed like a realistic possibility on Thursday given the nature of the Warriors' hard-fought loss to the Wolves. Thompson is listed on the injury report with management of his torn right Achilles tendon suffered in fall 2020.
Expect Kevon Looney or Jonathan Kuminga to start in Thompson's place. Golden State tips off against the Nuggets from Pepsi Center at 6:00 p.m (PT).
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