Steph Curry, Draymond Green sit vs. Clippers Sunday

Golden State is managing its stars on the schedule now, and it got that out of the way early.

Anthony Slater

@anthonyVslater

Steph Curry and Draymond Green will both rest tomorrow night on the front side of a back-to-back against the Clippers. Injury management. That should clear them to face the Suns on Monday night. Al Horford will play vs Clippers, meaning he would rest vs Suns.

Look at the Al Horford part. Golden State isn't just resting 2 guys on one night. It's splitting the veterans across both games, so Horford takes the Clippers and gets Phoenix off while Steph and Draymond do the reverse. Nobody in that group plays both nights, and the Warriors still put a real core on the floor each time. It's a smart way to handle an old roster in a season that's barely started.

The official injury report backs up the rest call. Curry is listed out for right knee injury management and Green for lower back injury management for the game at Chase Center. Rest days usually come with a body part attached on the report, but a 38-year-old's knee and Draymond's back are 2 things this franchise has every reason to protect in early November.

The bodies were already thin before this. Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody are both listed with knee injuries, so Sunday's group is going to look rough. That puts the ball in Brandon Williams' hands as the backup point guard, with Charles Bassey soaking up the frontcourt minutes Draymond would usually play. The Clippers will take the gift. Golden State is basically conceding the matchup on paper to have its best lineup ready for Phoenix.

Nick Friedell

@NickFriedell

Steph and Draymond out tomorrow vs. Clippers for rest. That would mean they’ll be good to go vs. Suns on Monday night. PSA for Steph fans across the league: Buy tickets for Warriors back to back games at your own risk.

That PSA is the real story for anybody holding tickets. If you're a fan in a road city and the Warriors are on a back-to-back, Steph sitting one of them is no longer a maybe, it's how they run things. Pay to see the game where he's most likely to play, and even then, wait for the injury report.

Which also makes this a betting story. Both lines move on news like this: the Clippers number tightens up toward LA with 2 Warriors starters out, and the Suns line should lean back toward Golden State with Curry and Green expected to play. The one catch is Horford, who's projected to sit Monday. Wait for the Monday injury report before you bet anything, but if the plan holds, Sunday is the throwaway and Monday is the game the Warriors actually care about.