Warriors become walking wounded on Texas 2-step
DALLAS — The Warriors arrived here with only eight players healthy enough to practice Tuesday night, a day before starting a back-to-back set against the Mavericks and Rockets.
The biggest news is about Stephen Curry, who added a lower left leg injury to his already sore right calf during Monday’s win over the Kings.
“There’s a chance that he won’t play in one or both games, but that’s probably going to be a game-time decision — or at least determined by how he’s feeling” Wednesday, interim head coach Luke Walton said. …
Walton played 10 NBA seasons, and at times gutted his way through tweaks, bumps and bruises.
The Warriors keep their eyes on long-term goals, like repeating as champions with a two-month postseason slog from mid-April to mid-June, and don’t want minor injuries to turn into things that are still nagging during the playoffs.
The coach said he generally would encourage Curry, Festus Ezeli (foot), Draymond Green (ankle) or Shaun Livingston (undisclosed) — who all missed Tuesday’s brief workout — to take some days off to completely heal.
The problem is the Warriors aren’t in a situation to offer rest days right now, because forward Harrison Barnes (ankle), guard Leandro Barbosa (shoulder) and rookie Kevon Looney (hip) all stayed in the Bay Area to continue their recoveries.
The Warriors believe the three can get more rehabilitation in the Bay Area than on a quick trip that includes a lot of sitting in hotels and on airplanes.
Livingston, one of the team’s five players age 30 or older, was believed to be taking a veteran’s day in the trainer’s room.
The Warriors and Kings played mostly with small lineups, and Walton didn’t want to stick Speights into the fourth quarter of the game after he had not played in the opening 36-plus minutes.
Forward Harrison Barnes (ankle), guard Leandro Barbosa (shoulder) and rookie Kevon Looney (hip) did not make the trip with the Warriors, and the team had only eight players healthy enough to practice Tuesday.
Dallas point guard Deron Williams has missed three straight games with a strained left hamstring.
Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki, who passed Shaquille O’Neal for sixth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list Thursday, was limited to a season-low seven points on 3-for-15 shooting in Monday’s victory over Milwaukee.
The Mavericks have made at least 10 three-pointers in nine of their past 11 games, averaging 12.1 three-pointers per game on 39.3 percent shooting during the stretch.
In their past 11 games, the Warriors have averaged 12.3 three-pointers on 40.8 percent shooting.