The Golden State Warriors will be walking into Monday night’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves with a skeleton crew - and that’s putting it lightly.
Steph Curry and Draymond Green have officially been ruled out, a blow to a Warriors team already navigating a tough stretch of the season. Curry is dealing with right patellofemoral inflammation - essentially, irritation around the kneecap - after experiencing some unexpected soreness during a workout in Minneapolis on Saturday. Green, meanwhile, is sitting out with lower back soreness, a cautious move given his recent return to the lineup and the physical toll he’s taken over the years.
The timing couldn’t be worse. Golden State just handled business against the Timberwolves on Sunday, rolling to a 111-85 win in a game that was originally set for Saturday but postponed due to the tragic shooting of Alex Pretti and the ensuing protests in Minneapolis. That extra day off gave Curry a bit more time to assess his knee, and he ultimately suited up - playing through the discomfort and helping lead the Warriors to a dominant win.
But postgame, Curry hinted that something didn’t feel quite right.
“Something flared up [Saturday] when we came over to get a workout in,” Curry said after the win. “It was super weird. Like, I've had stuff going on - quads and whatnot - but it was something that I hadn't felt before, so I definitely took advantage of the day off to get right, but hopefully that continues.”
That hope didn’t pan out. Curry’s recovery didn’t progress the way he or the team had hoped, and now Golden State will have to face Minnesota again without its two veteran leaders.
They won’t be alone on the injury report, either. Monday’s game will also be missing key names across the board: Jimmy Butler (ACL), Seth Curry (sciatic), Al Horford (injury management), Jonathan Kuminga (knee), and De’Anthony Melton (injury management) are all out.
For the Warriors, the absence of Curry and Green leaves a massive leadership and production void. Curry’s shot-making and floor-spacing are irreplaceable, and Green’s defensive IQ and playmaking often serve as the connective tissue for the entire team. Without them, Golden State will have to lean heavily on its younger core and role players to carry the load.
It’s a tall order, especially on the second night of a back-to-back, but Sunday’s win showed what this group is capable of when they’re locked in. The question now is whether they can replicate that energy and execution without their two anchors - and whether someone is ready to step up in a big way.