As the Warriors go for their ninth consecutive win Monday in Oklahoma City, they’re getting healthier.
Andre Iguodala will return after missing the past eight games, Steve Kerr said pregame. Klay Thompson also will have his minutes restriction bumped up from about 25 minutes to 30.
Iguodala had been out with a hip injury, and then was listed on the injury report with “injury management.” Kerr has previously said he needs to be better with managing the 37-year-old forward’s minutes. Iguodala played a season-high 31 minutes on Jan. 20, his last game before hitting the injury report.
“It’s great to get Andre back,” Kerr told reporters. “Everything he does for us — his defense, his organization, just getting us lined up and making sure everyone’s in the right spots on both ends. It’s great to have him back.”
Thompson, meanwhile, can now play more minutes, which will allow him to get more comfortable with a rotation schedule closer to what he’ll experience once fully cleared. He started on a 20-minute limit when he first returned after 941 days away from the court, and then bumped up to 25. This is the latest increase of five-minute installments.
Thompson is coming off a 24 points in 23 minutes performance in GSW’s latest win, a 126-114 drubbing of Sacramento. Kerr said the shooting guard’s conditioning hasn’t been a problem.
“He’s just gotten better and better,” Kerr said of Thompson. “He’s found his rhythm and is trending in the right direction.”
The Warriors are also getting Otto Porter Jr. back for Monday’s Thunder tilt. Porter Jr. had missed the last three games with a back injury and will start against OKC, Kerr said.
Nemanja Bjelica, who’s also dealing with a back injury, will miss his fifth straight game. Kerr expects Bjelica to return “before too long,” adding he doesn’t know exactly when that will be, but the backup center’s doing well.
