The Warriors started this week by taking a collective sigh of relief for a variety of reasons.
Not only did they get a key win over the Minnesota Timberwolves that propelled them to sole possession of the seventh seed in the Western Conference playoff race Sunday night, but they also received some positive news on the injury front on Monday.
Coach Steve Kerr said Draymond Green “seems to be on the right track” after experiencing a setback Sunday, which prompted the Warriors medical staff to order additional testing on Green’s problematic right knee to see if the injury was more severe than initially thought.
Green’s MRI came back clear, which means he could be back in the starting lineup as soon as Tuesday, Kerr said.
Green, who missed two straight games with a bruised knee, joined the team for practice Monday and is questionable for the Warriors’ upcoming game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
While Green is expected to be back at some point before the end of this five-game homestand, the Warriors still don’t have a timeline for Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins.
Curry missed his eighth consecutive game after spraining ligaments in his lower left leg and is scheduled to be re-evaluated mid-week. Meanwhile, Wiggins has been away from the team for two weeks to tend to an undisclosed family matter.
The Warriors miss Wiggins’ on-ball defense and offensive rebounding, but Donte DiVincenzo has done his best to step up in his absence.
DiVincenzo played Robin to Klay Thompson’s Batman in a 109-104 comeback win over the Timberwolves Sunday. DiVincenzo had 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals in 38 minutes. Meanwhile, Thompson contributed 32 points, five rebounds and four assists  Â
The 31-30 Warriors will play three more games over the next four days at Chase Center before hitting the road for a three-game road trip with stops in Los Angeles, Oklahoma City and Memphis.
Thompson, DiVincenzo and the rest of the crew will do their best to help the Warriors maintain their spot in the congested Western Conference standings while they wait for the team to get back to full strength.
And while Kerr isn’t pulling his phone out at halftime to check the rankings, he said the team absolutely is keeping a close eye on what’s happening in the West.
“I’ve never seen it so bunched up before with this many teams involved,” Kerr said. “Obviously, the play-in stuff factors in a little bit but when it’s only [a] four-game difference between four and 13.”
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