Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he doesn't anticipate Draymond Green's absence Wednesday night will extend into Golden State's upcoming road trip.
Green was scratched minutes before the Warriors' 120-112 comeback win over the Miami Heat at Chase Center due to soreness in his right ankle. Because the Warriors didn't have a morning shootaround, Green's status wasn't clear until he said his ankle continued bothering him after pregame warmups.
"I told him, 'Don't be a hero if it's hurting you. Sit it out, let's get you right so you don't end up missing four or five games,' " Kerr told reporters in a postgame video conference. "I think he was very honest with himself and with us, and he came back in and said, 'I probably shouldn't go.'
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"And you know Draymond. He's as tough as anybody. So, it was the right call. Because we didn't have a shootaround, it just caught everybody off guard."
That included Green's teammates, who struggled through three-and-a-half quarters in his absence. The Warriors trailed by 14 points with 6:40 remaining in regulation after former Warrior Andre Iguodala hit a 3-pointer over Steph Curry.
Fourteen seconds later, Kent Bazemore hit a 3-pointer and the comeback was on.
Golden State outscored Miami 35-13 over the game's final 11:40, and Bazemore scored 11 points and dished out three assists during that time. He said the Warriors felt Green's presence as they scratched and clawed to victory.
"We always got his back. We always gonna pick him up, and we gonna make up for that energy collectively in some way, form or fashion," Bazemore said in a postgame press conference. "He was with us spiritually tonight and a big part of that win. It doesn't matter if you're out there, or if you're not. You put your energies in the right place, good things happen."
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Green was as pumped as any of his teammates after the victory, waiting for Curry and Bazemore -- the last two Warriors to walk down the tunnel to the locker room -- in order to celebrate.
If he doesn't experience any setbacks between now and then, he could celebrate with the Warriors on the court if they beat the Orlando Magic on Friday in the first game of a four-game road trip.
