The injuries finally piled up to a point where even Kenneth Faried could no longer play.
The Nuggets power forward missed Sunday night’s game against Golden State due to a sprained left ankle. But he had tried to play.
Faried tested the ankle during pre-game warmups in order to make a final determination. The pain persisted and he chose to sit.
Faried is listed as day-to-day, with his next chance to play on Tuesday against the L.A. Clippers.
The night off also gave Faried a chance to rest a nagging sore lower back.
He has been dealing with myriad ailments all season.
Little surprise. Nuggets coach Michael Malone, a former assistant for Golden State, got to witness Stephen Curry’s brilliance up close.
As well as the Warriors played when he was there and as much as they improved in the couple of seasons after he left, he still marvels at what Curry and the NBA champions have been doing.
“Having the privilege of coaching Steph and a few other guys for two years while I was there, to see his development, I’d be lying if I said I saw this happening. Did not see it,” Malone said. “Here’s a 6-foot-2, 180-pound non-athlete who’s dominating. All the credit goes to him, for how hard he works. He’s fun to watch. No lead is ever safe — we saw that against the Clippers the other night. They share the ball. They defend. They have toughness. They have a grit to them.”
