Steph Curry is making his second trip the brand-new Intuit Dome in Inglewood, but he won’t be suiting up.
Curry, 36, is inactive for Friday night’s game against the Clippers. With the tilt being the first of a back-to-back, the Warriors are holding him out to manage the bilateral knee tendinitis he has been dealing with this year.
Golden State (15-14) will also be without Gary Payton II, who exited the Christmas Day game with a left calf strain that will sideline him for at least the next week.
When the knee issues started to pop up in late November, part of the conversation between Curry and the training staff centered on whether to play back-to-backs. On Dec. 5, he sat out the Houston game one day before playing against Minnesota.
Now, the Warriors have spiraled to 10th in the Western Conference after losing 11 of their past 14 games — including a Christmas Day classic with the Lakers. Before that game, Curry addressed the team with a brief speech, acknowledging that the Warriors are at an inflection point.
Despite the need for urgency, the Warriors have always, and will continue to, see the bigger picture with their superstar.
“That’s always been a part of the challenge,” Curry said on Christmas. “I want to play every game. Especially when you look at the standings and the games matter, but more so just trying to get over the hump, to have something to feel good about and you want to be a part of that…You still have to consider the miles I have and where I’m at in my career, you’ve got to be smart.”
Curry played 36 minutes against the Lakers — near his season-high. He scored 38 points, including the Warriors’ last eight down the stretch. Golden State likes to keep him around 32 minutes, but ramped him up as the game — and stage — dictated.
“We have to help him get through the regular season,” head coach Steve Kerr said on Christmas.
Friday will be Curry’s sixth missed game of the season. Even with a subpar December by his lofty standards, Curry is averaging 22.5 points, 6.5 assists and 4.8 rebounds while hitting 4.3 triples per game.
Curry ranks eighth in the league in box plus/minus and 13th in value over replacement player — two advanced stats that capture all-around impact.
The Warriors are 4-1 in games without Curry this season, including an impressive victory over the Rockets in which Jonathan Kuminga scored a season-high 33 points. Golden State is likely to put the ball in his hands more in Curry’s absence as well as feature new guard Dennis Schroder often.
The Clippers beat the Warriors in each of their first two meetings. Los Angeles sits in seventh place at 17-13 despite missing Kawhi Leonard — who won’t debut Friday — all year. Wing Terance Mann is also listed as out with a broken finger.
