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MINNEAPOLIS \u2014 Draymond Green missed his third straight game on Wednesday after getting ruled out with an illness and a back injury, with the former being more significant than the latter.<\/p>\n
Green was seen walking out of morning shootaround as it opened to the media at the Target Center. He participated, but \u201clooked like a ghost\u201d doing so, head coach Steve Kerr said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe woke up not feeling well at all,\u201d Kerr said. \u201cHe was hoping that he\u2019d feel better after a nap this afternoon, some hydration, but he\u2019s just not been well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Green remains paramount to the Warriors, especially on the defensive end. Golden State is seven points per 100 possessions better with him on the court compared to him off it.<\/p>\n
Missing Green against Minnesota is a major challenge. The Timberwolves are one of the biggest teams in the league, with Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle and Naz Reid in the front court, as well as Anthony Edwards putting pressure on the rim.<\/p>\n
The Warriors weren\u2019t able to get two-way center Quinten Post to Minnesota in time because of a logistical challenges, Kerr said, so their options include Kevon Looney, Trayce Jackson-Davis and Gui Santos in the nationally televised game.<\/p>\n
Kyle Anderson (left hamstring soreness) is also out, as well as Brandin Podziemski (abdominal strain) and Jonathan Kuminga (ankle sprain). Gary Payton II is making his return from a calf strain after 10 missed games and should play a factor as a diver, but he\u2019s 6-foot-2.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got to fight,\u201d Kerr said. \u201cWe\u2019ll mix and match combinations, see what we can do. Sometimes in games like these, you go small, try to spread people out, play fast. But we also have some guys who can match up.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2022, Green missed two months with the same L5-S1 disc injury, though Kerr said this current injury isn\u2019t similar to that one, in which Green had a herniated disc.<\/p>\n
Green played in two of the Warriors\u2019 first three meetings with the Timberwolves this season. Wednesday night was the last time the two teams will play in the regular season.<\/p>\n
The Warriors are 1-2 on their current four-game road trip, with the Timberwolves matchup representing the last game before heading home to the Bay. Their last loss, a 104-101 defeat to the nine-win Toronto Raptors, was one of the most frustrating of the season in the locker room and sunk the team to below .500.<\/p>\n
Kerr took full accountability after that game, saying it\u2019s his job as the coach to \u201cfind a way to help this team.\u201d While the Warriors appreciated the sentiment, everyone knows Golden State\u2019s issues don\u2019t start and end with the head coach.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think that\u2019s on him,\u201d Andrew Wiggins said. \u201cThat\u2019s what a leader does. Steve\u2019s a leader. It\u2019s on everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re going through a rut like this, playing .500 basketball or below that, you\u2019ve got to look at yourself, not the coach,\u201d Kevon Looney said. \u201cWe\u2019re out there on the court, we control what happens. And we\u2019ve got to do better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before the Timberwolves game, the Warriors are 7-17 since starting the season 12-3.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Missing Green presents a grave challenge for the Warriors against the jumbo Wolves.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":26297,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\n