Golden State coach Steve Kerr has left the door open for Stephen Curry and Draymond Green to return to the lineup on Friday in San Francisco when the Warriors take on the Minnesota Timberwolves, kicking off a three-day, two-game, same-site sequence.
The clubs, who have yet to face off this season, are scheduled for a rematch on Sunday, also in San Francisco, like an NBA-style doubleheader they played last November in California. The Timberwolves swept those games, with the second matchup being memorable for Green putting Rudy Gobert in a headlock, resulting in a five-game suspension.
On Thursday, Curry was resting his sore knees and Green his painful left calf when the Warriors did what they did best—defeated the Houston Rockets 99-93 at home on the front end of a back-to-back set.
Jonathan Kuminga provided the late-game heroics, capping a career-best 33-point performance, while Andrew Wiggins added 23 points and nine rebounds. The Warriors snapped a five-game losing streak, extending their winning streak against the Rockets to 15 games.
Kerr noted before the game that the ailments for Curry and Green weren’t considered serious, but each has the potential to linger. While playing on consecutive nights was out of the question, both Curry and Green were scheduled for re-evaluation on Friday.
As he left the court, Kerr thanked Wiggins for rescuing the team against the Rockets.
While the Warriors have dominated the Rockets over the years, it’s been a while since they’ve bested the Timberwolves. Minnesota swept last year’s three-game season series, giving the Wolves a four-game winning streak against Golden State.
The Timberwolves have also built a small run of wins over Pacific Division rivals recently, defeating the Los Angeles teams three times in a six-day stretch through Wednesday. They are in the midst of facing Pacific teams seven straight times, a sequence that began with a loss to the Sacramento Kings on Nov. 27 and continues after the Golden State visit with a second duel against the Lakers on Dec. 13.
The Timberwolves have held their past three opponents—the Clippers twice, sandwiching the Lakers—to 92 points or fewer. They followed up a 109-80 win over the visiting Lakers on Monday with a 108-80 thrashing of the host Clippers on Wednesday.
Minnesota guard Donte DiVincenzo praised the way he and his teammates responded to a four-game losing streak that left the club with an 8-10 record early last week.
DiVincenzo will be making his second trip to San Francisco since leaving the Warriors as a free agent following the 2022-23 season. He enjoyed his initial homecoming with the Knicks last March, contributing 18 points to New York’s 119-112 victory.
