
The Golden State Warriors have been enjoying a relatively clean bill of health over the past handful of games, outside of their contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder last Friday.
That was in danger for Wednesday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks after Draymond Green suffered a few different injuries in a tough 103-102 loss against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.
However, the Warriors' injury report ahead of the Bucks game brought some positive news on that front and inspired some confidence to start their upcoming eight-game homestand.
Green was officially listed as questionable due to a left ankle sprain for most of the morning and afternoon before the game, but he was upgraded to probable at 1:00 p.m. PT and is thus likely set to take the court.
Green tweaked his ankle early in the third quarter on top of crashing into the bench late in the second quarter and hurting his wrist during the game, as well, but still played 32 minutes and recorded 12 assists in the loss to the Clippers.
Green talked about how he felt beat-up after the game, but did say he just needed Tuesday to get right. Apparently, the treatment and rest were enough to get him raring to go once more — the Warriors will need him ready to deal with Giannis Antetokounmpo tonight.
The other notable Warrior on the injury report is Gary Payton II, who is also suffering from a left ankle sprain and is questionable to play. Payton was at the center of the controversial no-call goaltending in the fourth quarter that eventually led to Steve Kerr's ejection.
Payton has been playing well, scoring 9+ points in four of his last five games. His absence would likely mean his minutes would be spread among players such as Will Richard or Moses Moody.
Seth Curry also remains out due to his sciatic nerve irritation.
On the other hand, the Bucks are essentially fully healthy, outside of Taurean Prince.
The veteran forward has been out since early November after he got surgery to address a herniated disk in his neck. The Bucks applied for a Disabled Player Exception last week, indicating Prince is likely to remain out for the rest of the season.
The only player to look out for in his health is Antetokounmpo. The Greek Freak returned from a right calf strain five games ago, just after Christmas, and has been ramping up his minutes.
He played 25, 25, and 28 minutes in his first three games back, and has increased that to 30 and 32 minutes in the past two games against the Hornets and Kings. The Bucks are 4-1 since Antetokounmpo returned, and if his minutes restriction is scaled back even more, or even removed altogether, it could become too much for the undersized Warriors to deal with.
It'll be a hard-fought game for the Warriors on their home ground as they try to exact revenge for the road loss they suffered to the Bucks without Antetokounmpo back in late October.