SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors shooting guard D’Angelo Russell sprained his right thumb during the third quarter of Friday night’s 105-100 loss to the Boston Celtics and didn’t return.
X-rays on Russell’s thumb were negative. He was expected to have an MRI on the thumb after the game, and an update is expected Saturday.
Russell exited the game with 5 minutes, 33 seconds left in the third quarter, and after getting the thumb checked out on the bench for a few moments, he headed to the locker room for further evaluation.
Russell finished with 12 points, 7 assists and 9 turnovers in 25 minutes.
His injury is the latest setback for a Warriors team that has been beset by injuries all season. Star guard Stephen Curry broke his left hand Oct. 30 and will miss at least three months. All-Star swingman Klay Thompson continues to rehab from a torn ACL in his left knee; his return this season remains unclear. Center Kevon Looney has been out since playing 10 minutes in a season opening loss to the LA Clippers because of a nerve condition. Jacob Evans has been out since straining his adductor Oct. 28. Damion Lee has been out since Monday because of a non-displaced fracture on his right hand. Rookie Alen Smailagic has been out all season because of a right ankle sprain.
“It sucks,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said of his team’s injury woes. “I’ve said it before, you live that every day. That injury don’t go away when you walk off the floor. It sucks to keep seeing guys go down, but we got that bug right now. So just gotta keep fighting, do all you can to stay healthy. But sometimes, s— just happens.”
Rookie forward Eric Paschall also injured his right hand in the third quarter but wore a heat pack over the hand to loosen it up and checked back into the game with 7:03 left in regulation.
“It’s not broken or anything,” Paschall said. “I think it’s just a jam. … You’ve got to ice it down, but I’ll be all right.”
The Warriors open a four-game road trip Sunday in New Orleans.
“It’s tough, but at the end of the day, we all work the same,” Warriors center Willie Cauley-Stein said. “We come to work, craft, and it’s just next man up unfortunately. That’s the way it goes. Injuries happen. It’s just the next guy coming in, is he ready or not. That’s the thing. As a young guy, you’ve got to stay ready. You don’t know when you’re going to get your time. You stay ready, you don’t got to get ready.”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr remained upbeat despite the fact that injury issues have hovered over the proud organization all season. The Warriors are now 2-10 on the year.
“We just need to win a game or two here or there,” Kerr said. “To just feel better about things. And it’s gonna happen; I feel that we’re heading in the right direction. But it’s tough; losing stinks. Everybody here is competitive, from Eric Housen, to Joe Lacob and everybody. You don’t get into this business if you’re not competitive. So nobody’s happy, but we’ve got a great group and we’re competing together, and it’s gonna get better.”