SAN FRANCISCO >> Steve Kerr and everybody else in the building breathed a deep sigh of relief Monday when they received the results of an MRI on Steph Curry’s left ankle.
“The MRI was positive, or negative, whatever, it was good,” the Warriors coach said from the podium a day after the Warriors’ star left their loss to the Clippers with 7:55 to go and didn’t return. “That’s the main thing. It’s not significant damage. He’ll miss the next couple games and we’ll see where we are.”
Curry, 36, was ruled out for the Warriors’ next two games — Tuesday and Wednesday against the Pelicans — but the scan revealed no structural damage in the left ankle he rolled twice in Sunday night’s loss to the Clippers. He was diagnosed with a left peroneal strain and will be re-evaluated Friday, the team said.
Nonetheless, their backcourt depth and scoring options will be put to the test. Kerr’s 12-man rotation could be whittled down to nine purely for health reasons.
In addition to Curry, backup point guard De’Anthony Melton was ruled out for the next two games, as well. He underwent imaging that revealed a lower back strain and will also be re-evaluated Friday. And they could also be without Andrew Wiggins, who picked up the slack in Curry’s absence with a team-high 29 points Sunday but landed on the injury report as questionable after his back tightened up late in Sunday’s loss.
“If we’re without all three, then we’ve got three guys ready to go,” Kerr said. “I think (our depth) the strength of this roster. But now we’ve got to go back it up. I’m excited to get these guys on the bench more opportunity.”
The Warriors had run with the same sizable starting five — Curry, Wiggins, Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga and Trayce Jackson-Davis — for their first three games, but Kerr said he didn’t know which group he would roll with without potentially two of its five members.
Regardless, the absences of Curry and Melton “means more playing time, for sure” for second-year guard Brandin Podziemski, Kerr said, “and for other guys as well.” Buddy Hield has been their top option off the bench, averaging 19 points per game, and Moses Moody has also been effective in his limited minutes. Pat Spencer was also likely to be activated from the G League, Kerr said, “for an additional ball handler.”
“I’m excited,” Podziemski said. “We did it a bunch last year with Steph and Chris (Paul) being out some games, Klay (Thompson) and Chris being out some games. I train myself in the offseason to be ready to play 35 to 40 minutes on a given night. So I’m ready for that.”
Podziemski, who has been wearing a protective face guard, has played with the same motor as he did as a rookie but hasn’t been as effective offensively, something that could be exploited in Curry’s absence. He has made only one of his 14 3-point attempts (7.1%), shooting 33.3% overall from the field and averaging 6.3 points.
“I hate it,” he said of the mask, which he said slides down his face, obscuring his vision. “As a point guard, as a guy who’s not that athletic, you use your eyes and your visions and your smarts to control the game and sometimes I can’t see out of it. Hopefully just a couple more weeks in it. … I don’t like giving excuses for why I’m missing or making shots. At the end of the day, I have to wear it and fight through it.”