Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Draymond Green and Al Horford will be back for the Golden State Warriors’ game against the Denver Nuggets on Monday, Oct. 26. Gui Santos is questionable and two other rotation players are probable. Denver lists starting forward Cameron Johnson as doubtful.
The game is at Ball Arena. The Warriors (0-3) will try to snap a three-game losing streak.
The Four Returning Players All Sat Out in Phoenix
The four returning players all sat out Saturday’s loss to the Phoenix Suns, the second game of a back-to-back. Podziemski’s lower back injury has kept him out of two of the first three games.
Santos left the Suns game in the third quarter with left knee tendinitis. Brandon Williams is probable with lower back soreness, and Charles Bassey is probable with knee tendinitis. Kristaps Porziņģis remains out indefinitely with a health issue and is not on the injury report.
Moses Moody and Jimmy Butler III are also out. Moody is working toward a possible December or January return after rupturing his left patellar tendon in March, per Anthony Slater of ESPN. Butler is recovering from a torn right ACL and could return in January or February.
Alpha Diallo (right wrist sprain) is doubtful for Denver along with Johnson (ankle), and Spencer Jones (hamstring) is out. Julian Strawther is also out with a left knee sprain and will be re-evaluated in six weeks.
The Returns Fix the Backcourt but Not the Frontcourt
Monday’s report gives Golden State back its guards, but its size problem is unchanged. With Porziņģis out indefinitely, Bassey listed with a knee issue and Butler and Moody both out until the winter, the Warriors are short on bigs and forwards before Santos’s status is even settled.
If Santos can’t play, Steve Kerr is left with three-guard lineups against Nikola Jokić. Johnson’s likely absence takes one forward off Denver’s side, which helps, but the team at 0-3 is still the one with fewer usable bigs.
Golden State also rested all four regulars on the second night of a back-to-back that opened the season. That makes clear how the team will handle Curry’s workload and its older frontcourt this season, even with the losses piling up.
Santos’s Status Sets the Rotation at Tip
The one call still open before Monday’s tip is whether Santos, who is questionable, can play. That decides whether Golden State goes small against Denver or has a natural forward available.
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