Anthony SlaterNov 5, 2025, 03:45 PM ET
SACRAMENTO -- The Golden State Warriors will be without Stephen Curry for their road game in Sacramento on Wednesday night. Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler III have been deemed questionable. Butler, despite a tweaked lower back, is pushing to play, sources told ESPN.
Curry is dealing with a cold he said is worsening. He stayed in San Francisco. Green has logged a bunch of minutes at center early in the season and has a right rib contusion. Butler left in the first half of the Warriors' win over the Suns on Tuesday night and there was serious skepticism about his status against the Kings, but he is attempting to get the green light after round-the-clock treatmentent.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr called the three "wiped out" after a condensed schedule in the opening month, including three back-to-backs. Eight of their next nine games are on the road.
"When all is said and done, of our first 15 games, I think they'll come in 26 days in 10 different cities," Kerr said. "To ask our players to sprint -- full court pressure, either dealing with it or applying it, racing out to the 3-point line, covering 3-point shooters and then playing at this tempo -- is dramatically different from what it was 20 years ago."
Butler and Green are 35. Curry is 37. Al Horford, the team's veteran center who won't play both sides of any of its 15 back-to-backs this season, is 39. The Warriors have a performance staff led by Rick Celebrini and have been transparent about Celebrini's plan to spot rest their older stars in a handful of games this season.
"We all know what the real answer [to load management] is, and that is to shorten the season," Kerr said with an eye of skepticism. "Good luck."
