SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and forward Draymond Green will not play in their regular-season finale against the Utah Jazz on Sunday afternoon.
“[Curry] could play. If he had to play, he would be playing,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said before the game. “Given what we are facing, it made no sense to put him out there today. We’re hoping that we’ve got three games this week, so getting a rest today, getting time to recover before that first play-in game, that’s much more important.”
Gary Payton II will miss his third consecutive game with a left calf strain. Jonathan Kuminga, who missed Friday’s game and is questionable with a right pelvic contusion, will warm up before his status is determined. All of the other players on the Warriors’ roster are available.
The Warriors have a chance to move into the 8-seed, but the way Kerr spoke pregame, it appears Golden State is preparing to move forward as the 9- or 10-seed.
“It’s most likely we’re going to have to win two games away,” Kerr said.
With all the games for Western Conference teams happening at the same time, Kerr said he and his staff weren’t going to do too much scoreboard-watching of the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings, even though those results will have an impact on the Warriors’ seeding.
“We’ll be aware of the scores, but in today’s NBA, the Lakers are up 15 with five minutes left, it’s not over,” Kerr said. “It would have to be a 30-point game in one direction or the other to start thinking [about changing our game plan]. Since the games are at the same time, which is by design, I don’t anticipate that will be a factor.”
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