Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told 95.7 The Game that Stephen Curry is unlikely to fly with the Warriors to Denver for Friday’s game.
ESPN’s Anthony Slater later wrote that Curry will not play against the Nuggets. Slater added that Jimmy Butler is questionable and Draymond Green is probable.
Curry did not travel with the team to Sacramento on Wednesday due to an illness.
Prior to Golden State’s Wednesday loss to the Kings, Curry had appeared in all eight games. He’s averaging 26.8 points, 4.3 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game.
Historically, the Warriors have struggled without Curry in the lineup, but they fared surprisingly well last year, going 7-5 in the regular season. Of course, they lost all four games he didn’t appear in against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the playoffs.
Friday’s game is an NBA Cup game. If the Warriors lose, they’ll likely need to win their remaining three group-stage games against the San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets to have any chance of making the knockout stage.
Each of the conference’s three group winners makes the knockout stage. The conference’s highest-rated second-place also makes it, giving each conference four knockout-stage teams.
