OAKLAND -- Though Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant will be out of the lineup Monday night when the Warriors face the Sacramento Kings, coach Steve Kerr expects both to return soon, perhaps later this week.
Durant will be sidelined for the fourth time in five games with a sprained left ankle sustained Nov. 18 at Philadelphia, while Curry's right hand was bruised during the win over the Pelicans last Saturday.
"There's not a huge level of concern, long term," Kerr said of Curry. "He's already better today. He could've played. But (co-trainer Chelsea Lane) told me if he had been hit on the hand, it could've gotten worse. So we're not going to take that chance.
"With KD, it's just been lingering a little bit. It's not a huge level of concern. But we'll just take it day by day."
Durant missed the next game, at Brooklyn, in the wake of the sprain but returned last Wednesday to face his former team in Oklahoma City. He produced 21 points and five rebounds in a game he clearly wanted to play, but Kerr has since expressed regret about reinserting him into the lineup.
Durant's absence against the Kings will be his third in a row.
This will be Curry's second absence, as he missed the Nov. 13 home game against Orlando with a thigh contusion.
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Though both Curry and Durant could return as soon as Wednesday, when the Warriors open a six-game road trip in Los Angeles against the Lakers, Curry seems closer to returning.
"I think he'll play Wednesday," Kerr said. "That's the likelihood."
Forward Andre Iguodala also was on the pregame injury list with left knee soreness, but was upgraded and made available. It is anticipated he will sit out at least one game on the upcoming trip.
