The Golden State Warriors arrested their three-game slide with an important win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, but the overtime victory came with an undoubted physical toll for the hosts.
Four of the Warriors’ five starters played more than 35 minutes — only Klay Thompson played less due to first-half foul trouble. Stephen Curry saw over 43 minutes as the two-time MVP lifted his side from the depths of despair with 20 points across the last seven minutes.
An ankle injury for Draymond Green is a concern for the Golden State Warriors ahead of their matchup with the Phoenix Suns at Chase Center on Monday.
Draymond Green was the major injury worry from the contest, with the former Defensive Player of the Year sustaining an ankle issue during the third-quarter. The 33-year-old was running down the floor in transition before innocuously stepping on the foot of Bucks’ All-Star Jrue Holiday as he entered the lane.
Draymond went back to the locker room after rolling his right ankle pic.twitter.com/sRFkHmTpSc
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 12, 2023
Green went back to the locker room for a number of minutes before returning to the floor. He initially looked incredibly proppy and sore, but ended up playing a major role in Golden State’s comeback effort. Speaking after the game, Green was steadfast in assuring fans he’d be ready to go for Monday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns.
"“It’ll be pretty sore tomorrow for sure. Nothing a few anti-inflammatories can’t handle…I 100% expect to play, we not in a position to be missing no games. Just got to tape it up and figure it out, but I’ll be alright."
His comments blatantly state the perilous nature of the Warriors season, with the win over the Bucks pushing the reigning champions to 35-33 and maintaining sixth-place in the Western Conference. Golden State was 46-22 at the same point last season, and although they had their injury concerns, there wasn’t the same urgency factor given a playoff berth had already been locked in.
The hope for the Warriors now is that the seriousness of the situation causes them to gather real momentum ahead of the postseason, but one has to wonder what kind of physical toll that will have on their veteran core.