There is a chance Monday’s rematch between the Spurs and Golden State comes with slightly more star power than Saturday’s meeting in San Francisco.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich reiterated he expects rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama to return to the court to face the Warriors after missing the past two games with a mild right ankle sprain.
“I think that’s what we’re thinking right now,” Popovich said.
The Spurs defeated Golden State 126-113 at the Chase Center with Wembanyama and second-leading scorer Devin Vassell in street clothes.
Vassell was a late scratch while nursing a hip contusion suffered in Thursday’s loss at Sacramento.
The 23-year-old guard, who was coming off a 30-point performance against the Kings, tested his sore hip during pregame warmups Saturday but did not feel up to par.
“He tried to go out there and work it out, but he just couldn’t work it out,” Popovich said.
The Warriors, meanwhile, were without star guard Stephen Curry, who is out with an ankle sprain of his own.
An MRI on Curry’s ankle showed no structural damage. He sat out Saturday’s game and is expected to be re-evaluated Tuesday, which would render him sidelined for Monday’s contest at the Frost Bank Center.
Golden State coach Steve Kerr said he was optimistic Curry could return to the court sooner rather than later.
“I would say it’s a good result,” Kerr said. “The MRI was clear. He’s feeling better. All in all, I would call it positive and we’ll update everything on Tuesday.”
Saturday’s victory over the Warriors was the Spurs’ first this season without Wembanyama. They were 0-7 previously.
Golden State has yet to win with Curry shelved, going 0-4 in those instances.
The Spurs return home for a back-to-back against the Warriors and Houston Rockets at the Frost Bank Center on Monday and Tuesday.
For now, Popovich said he would not hesitate to play Wembanyama in both games if he feels up to it.
“It’s not an ‘injury’ injury,” Popovich said. “So we’ll just see how things go.”
Graham gets kudos for staying prepared
Little-used guard Devonte’ Graham realized about 40 minutes before tipoff Saturday he might be in for some playing time against the Warriors.
That is about the time the Spurs announced Vassell would not be available.
“Once I knew Dev wasn’t playing, they kind of told me just be ready,” Graham said.
The Spurs’ oldest player at age 29, Graham came through with 12 solid minutes off the bench. He scored eight points, made a pair of 3-pointers, and dove for loose balls.
Popovich singled out Graham as one of his favorite performers Saturday.
“Devonte’ hasn’t played much,” Popovich said. “He came in and gave us a real boost.”
Heading into Saturday’s game, Graham had only made 12 appearances totaling 99 minutes this season. His outing against Golden State marked Graham’s first time on the court since Feb. 14 at Dallas.
Graham said the season of inactivity has been hard on him, but added he aims to be an example of professionalism no matter his role.
“Obviously for anybody in my position it would be tough,” Graham said. “A lot of ups and downs, mentally. But I’ve gotten into a headspace mentally where you can be ready to play any given night.”
Osman’s return not close
Though the Spurs anticipate getting Wembanyama and Vassell back from the injured list Monday, the news was less positive for reserve guard Cedi Osman.
Osman sprained his left ankle in Sacramento and miss Saturday’s victory in San Francisco, and Popovich believes his return is not imminent.
“He’s going to miss a few games,” Popovich said “Two or three for sure, probably.”