SAN FRANCISCO — Hours before tipoff Sunday, Warriors coach Steve Kerr learned that Klay Thompson wouldn't be available against the Utah Jazz.
Thompson felt a "tweak" in the left knee he had surgically repaired approximately 18 months ago, Kerr said, prompting Dr. Rick Celebrini to deliver the news that Thompson would need to be a late scratch Sunday night.
The Warriors downplayed the situation — Kerr said it was a matter of caution and "nothing too concerning" — but the severity of the setback remains unknown, coming after two consecutive days off for the shooting guard who is making his way back from tears to his anterior cruciate ligament and Achilles tendon that caused him to miss the last two seasons.
Thompson, who underwent surgery on the left knee in July 2019, is averaging 14.7 points in 21.4 minutes since he returned six games ago. He saw his most time yet Thursday in his last outing but didn't make any of his seven 3-point attempts in just over 23 minutes. He sat the next night with the Warriors holding him out of back-to-back games, and Golden State was off Saturday.
When Thompson arrived at Chase Center Sunday, the plan was for him to play. He has been on a minutes restriction that was scheduled to increase by a few minutes each week. But after participating in walk throughs, Celebrini informed Kerr that Thompson shouldn't play that night.
"I didn't realize that anything was wrong," Kerr said. "Rick said that it would be wise to hold him out."
With the late scratch, the Warriors were forced to face off against one of their top foes in the Western Conference without Thompson, Draymond Green or Andre Iguodala. In their first meeting with Utah, which is in fourth place and 3.0 games back of Golden State in the conference standings, the Warriors prevailed on the road without Thompson or Green against a Jazz team at full strength.
