It’s irresponsible to let Curry play – Kerr
Ball will not play in the Lakers’ Christmas Day matchup against Minnesota and is expected to be re-evaluated by team doctors in one week, the club announced on Sunday.
Ball returned to the court on Saturday after initially suffering the injury when he collided with Portland’s Jusuf Nurkic near the end of the first half, and played a total of 28 minutes.
Ball, the second pick overall in the 2017 NBA draft, is averaging 10 points and 6.9 assists through the first 31 games of his NBA career.
Meantime, Golden State coach Steve Kerr won’t let the hype surrounding the Warriors’ Christmas Day clash with the Cleveland Cavaliers influence a decision on whether injured guard Stephen Curry is ready to return.
“The guy hasn’t even had a three-on-three game, right?” Kerr told reporters on Saturday.
“So if we weren’t playing Cleveland on Christmas and I told you Steph hasn’t played in a three-on-three game, hasn’t had any contact at all. But because of the magnitude of the game, everybody wants to know. But we can’t let that affect our judgment.”
“He can’t play. That would be completely irresponsible if he did,” Kerr said.
The Warriors and Cavs have faced off in the past three NBA Finals, with the Warriors triumphing in 2015 and 2017.
The Cavs won in a seventh-game thriller in 2016.
The showdown between the elite foes highlights the NBA’s five-game Christmas Day slate, which also features Eastern Conference leaders Boston hosting the Washington Wizards and Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder hosting James Harden and the Houston Rockets.
The Warriors have coped admirably since two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Curry sprained his right ankle on Dec. 4.
