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Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr reacts about a call.
The Golden State Warriors cannot catch a break. Three straight losses, a record below .500, and an injury list that refuses to shrink. Friday night at Chase Center against the Minnesota Timberwolves is another must-win game for a team that has been saying that for weeks.
Moses Moody will miss his fifth consecutive game with a wrist injury. Stephen Curry is out for at least five more. The Warriors are piecing it together again on Friday, and the margin for error is gone.
Here is the full injury picture heading into the game.
Warriors Injury Report vs. Timberwolves
GettyMoses Moody #4 of the Golden State Warriors.
Curry will miss his 16th consecutive game with runner’s knee. The Warriors have set March 21 as his next re-evaluation date, meaning he will sit out at least the next five games. Golden State has gone 5-10 without him during this stretch alone and 9-17 overall without their franchise player this season.
Steve Kerr addressed Curry’s status on Thursday, telling reporters he is trending in the right direction. Kerr also confirmed the Warriors have not discussed shutting him down for the remainder of the season. Curry has been doing individual work but has not practiced with the team since leaving the second half of the loss to the Detroit Pistons on January 30.
Moody remains out with a wrist injury for the fifth straight game.
De’Anthony Melton and Quinten Post are both listed as questionable, with an adductor issue and a foot problem respectively.
Everyone else is expected to play. Kristaps Porzingis will make his fourth appearance in a Warriors uniform on Friday. It will be the first time he has played in back-to-back games for Golden State, a milestone worth watching given the conditioning questions that have followed him since his arrival.
What the Warriors’ Standings Picture Looks Like
GettySteve Kerr, Golden State Warriors.
The bigger concern extends beyond Friday night. Golden State sits at 32-33, ninth in the Western Conference. The Los Angeles Clippers have won three straight to move to 33-32 and above .500 for the first time since October. The gap between the Warriors and the eighth seed is growing in the wrong direction.
Below them, the Portland Trail Blazers sit at 31-35 but own the easiest remaining schedule in the league. Golden State’s remaining schedule ranks 11th-easiest. Five of their next six games come against teams with winning records.
By the time Curry returns around March 21, the Warriors could find themselves in tenth place. That would mean a single-elimination play-in game rather than the two-crack scenario that comes with the seventh or eighth seed. The difference matters enormously.
Final Word for Golden State
Kerr has maintained that shutting Curry down is not on the table. The Warriors are not tanking. They are fighting, shorthanded, against a schedule that is about to get harder.
Porzingis playing back-to-back games for the first time is a small but meaningful step. Melton’s availability could prove crucial. Every healthy body counts right now.
Friday night is another chance to stop the bleeding.
They need to take it.
Keith Watkins Keith Watkins is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Lakers. He previously wrote for FanSided, NBA Analysis Network, and Last Word On Sports. Keith is based in Bangkok, Thailand. More about Keith Watkins
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