Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and the team’s medical staff are closely monitoring Stephen Curry’s usage as the first-round playoff series against the Sacramento Kings continues. Curry has been averaging 39.5 minutes per game in the series, with Kerr aiming to keep the 35-year-old guard in the 38-minute range going forward, with five minutes of rest each half. However, Kerr admits that the games might dictate a different approach, as he did in Game 4. Curry’s 158 minutes in the first four games were the highest total on the team, with Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins following closely behind. Kerr wants to get his players more rest, but it’s not a huge concern.
The Warriors started Jordan Poole in place of Draymond Green once again in Game 5, sticking with the lineup that helped even the series at 2-2 in Games 3 and 4. It marked just the second time Green has come off the bench in a playoff game since 2014. The Game 5 starting lineup, which had not been used during this regular season, was 2-0 in the playoffs entering Wednesday. It was used only once before, last season in a March win against Milwaukee. The only previous time Green had come off the bench in consecutive playoff games was in the first three games of the first-round series against the Clippers in 2014.
With the Memphis Grizzlies’ win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 of their first-round series on Wednesday, Game 6 of Kings-Warriors will be held at 5 p.m. on Friday at Chase Center. The game will air on ESPN and NBCSBA. As the playoffs continue, the Warriors will need to carefully manage their players’ minutes to ensure they stay fresh and healthy throughout the series.
Keywords: Warriors, Stephen Curry, Steve Kerr, playoff series, Sacramento Kings, minutes, rest, Draymond Green, Jordan Poole, Chase Center.