Why Warriors rested Steph Curry, Draymond Green in Game 82

SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors’ two best players will watch the regular-season finale from the bench in street clothes.

According to head coach Steve Kerr, Steph Curry and Draymond Green will not play against Utah in Game 82. Their regular season is over.

The Warriors could still beat Utah without Curry and Green, but they’re resting the stars because a win probably won’t go far. The play-in scenarios have crystallized and Golden State needs both a win and losses from the Lakers and Kings to move back up to eighth place. Otherwise, the Warriors will enter the playoffs in either the ninth or 10th position.

The Warriors hope to play three games next week: the 9/10 game, en route to another sudden death game, then the first game of a full series against the best team in the West. That path is grueling — Kerr called it a “gauntlet” — and getting Curry and Green fully healthy is priority number one.

“I’m much more interested in our ability to be ready for next week,” Kerr said Friday night. “But we have to wait and see how everything plays out.”

Curry, who played 68 consecutive minutes total earlier this week, will need to be as fresh as possible to take Golden State where it wants to go. He twisted his ankle late in Friday’s loss to the Pelicans, but the injury is considered minor. Kerr said he would play Sunday if he needed to.

Curry played 74 games and 2,421 minutes this regular season – his highest total since 2016-17. He averaged 26.3 points per game in his 15th season while flirting with the 50/40/90 split, giving him a legitimate claim to a spot on one of the All-NBA teams.

Green will finish the regular season with only 55 games due to his suspensions, so his load was relatively light. But he still played heavy minutes when available, particularly at center, and suffered lower back soreness in the second half.