OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Warriors forward Draymond Green underwent an MRI exam on his strained left knee and his status for an upcoming road trip is unclear.
Golden State expected to release results of the test Wednesday or early Thursday prior to departing for a game Friday at New Orleans.
Green got hurt in the closing seconds of the third quarter of Tuesday’s season-opening 122-121 home loss to Houston when he drove left to the basket, took an off-balanced shot and landed awkwardly. He came up hobbling and grabbing at his knee.
Golden State missed his presence down the stretch and Green finished just shy of a triple-double with nine points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds.
“I don’t think it’s serious but we’ll see,” coach Steve Kerr said after Wednesday’s practice, in which Green didn’t participate.
Omri Casspi’s Warriors debut was cut short after he sprained his left ankle late in the third quarter. He had come into the game questionable with a mild sprain of his right ankle. Casspi did some shooting but didn’t practice.
“He just slipped on the floor,” Kerr said. “We’ll see if he’s OK. It was a tough break, he’s sprained both ankles in the last week.”
Andre Iguodala, meanwhile, practiced Wednesday after missing the opener with a strained back.
Kerr remains hopeful he will play on the road trip that includes the team’s first back-to-back with Friday’s matchup against the Pelicans followed by a game Saturday at Memphis.
Golden State plays Monday at Dallas before returning home for three games next week.
The Warriors are being extra cautious at this stage with Iguodala, who is such a valuable contributor off the bench.
Kerr has said his team still must get in better shape – mentally and physically – and that led to foul trouble throughout the game. Kevin Durant’s baseline jumper at the end went in just too late and Golden State squandered a big lead on the night it received its championship rings.
The Warriors only spent about 30 minutes practicing on the court Wednesday with the focus on skill work, instead using more time to study film.
“We were not ready mentally to play that game, even when we weren’t tired,” Kerr said. “When I say we’re not in great shape, I can’t come in here today and run them because they’re tired from last night. So the physical conditioning will come as we play these games in the next week or two but what we can do is really lock in mentally.”
