Warriors to Limit Curry, Porzingis, Horford Minutes in Play-In Showdown
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Golden State head coach Steve Kerr said Sunday that Stephen Curry, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford will each be held under 40 minutes when the Warriors meet the Los Angeles Clippers in Wednesday’s win-or-go-home play-in game at Crypto.com Arena.
The matchup comes only three days after the Clippers closed the regular season by edging Golden State 115-110 on the same court. At 37-45, the Warriors secured the final Western Conference play-in berth and must win to keep their season alive.
Curry has managed knee problems for much of the year, while Porzingis and Draymond Green have dealt with back soreness. Horford is nursing a calf issue, and Jimmy Butler suffered a torn ACL in early January. Throughout the season, Kerr has rationed minutes for his veteran core and has repeatedly argued that the NBA should shorten its 82-game schedule.
“We need to play fewer games — we need to take 10 games off the schedule,” Kerr said in March, contending that a reduced calendar would create a healthier, more competitive league.
The Clippers enter the play-in with Kawhi Leonard rested after sitting out the closing games of the regular season. Leonard averaged a career-best 27.9 points along with 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists, appearing in his second-highest total of games (68) since joining Los Angeles. Two years ago, injuries limited him to 37 games during the 2024-25 campaign.
Tipoff for Wednesday’s elimination contest is set for 10 p.m. ET in Los Angeles.
Source: ESPN
