Steph Curry, Brandin Podziemski expected out vs. Suns

The injury news came after one of the uglier finishes Chase Center has seen in a while, so start with how the Warriors got here.

Anthony Slater

@anthonyVslater

Late fourth quarter meltdown from the Warriors in the home opener. They had a 12-point lead with 3:47 left. Let the Grizzlies go on a 17-0 run. Illegal screen on Draymond Green followed by Steve Kerr technical on critical possession. Disaster loss. They’re 0-2.

Golden State led 106-94 with 3:47 left after a De'Anthony Melton 3 and then went cold. The Warriors didn't score again until there was 1 second left, Memphis closed on a 17-2 run, and the Grizzlies walked out with a 111-108 win in the home opener. Rookie Cameron Boozer did most of the damage with 25 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists, including an iso bucket late. Curry had 24 in the loss. Then Draymond Green got called for a moving screen and Steve Kerr picked up a technical on top of it, and that was the game.

Usually a loss like that just means a long flight. This time the flight goes to Phoenix for the first back-to-back of the season, and Curry didn't hide where he's leaning.

Nick Friedell

@NickFriedell

Steph on playing tomorrow night in Phoenix: “Probably not. But I’ll talk to the (medical) staff.”

That's the plan Golden State has had since training camp. They're easing Curry into the season and managing his minutes. He played 30 minutes Friday and Green played 31. Sitting the second night of a back-to-back in October is the cautious call, and with a 38-year-old franchise player it's the right one. It still stings when you're 0-2, and Curry said as much about how this one ended.

Anthony Slater

@anthonyVslater

Steph Curry on the 12-point blown lead in the final four minutes: “There are losses and then there are ways that you lose like tonight that sting a bit more.” t.co/J24fy4XENd

Then it got worse. Podziemski missed the opener with a tweaked back, came back Friday, and told reporters afterward that he won't go in Phoenix either because his back is still sore.

Anthony Slater

@anthonyVslater

Brandin Podziemski said he will not play tomorrow in Phoenix. So it sounds like the already depleted Warriors will also be without Steph Curry and Podziemski against the Suns. He missed the opener with a tweaked back.

So a roster that was already thin heads into the desert without its best player and one of its main young guards. That puts more of the load on Green, Melton and rookie Yaxel Lendeborg, who put up 18 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists in his home debut. Expect Kerr to dig deep into the bench for minutes against the Suns.

The schedule doesn't help. After Phoenix the Warriors go to Denver and Minnesota, then come home for the Lakers. Memphis was the kind of game they needed to bank before that stretch, and they gave it away in under 4 minutes. If they lose in Phoenix without Curry, 0-3 with that run coming up gets uncomfortable fast. It's only October, but nobody wants to be digging out of 0-5 by Halloween.