Day: April 23, 2023

Draymond Green will return to the Golden State Warriors for Game 4 after a one-game suspension. However, Green’s return to the Warriors starting lineup will have to wait.

Golden State will bring Green off the bench for Game 4 of their first-round series against the Sacramento Kings. The Warriors won Game 3 behind starting group that included Jordan Poole elevated to starting alongside regular openers Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney.

Green has only sporadically come off the bench since becoming a regular starter in 2014-15. Green’s last playoff game off the bench came nearly nine years ago on April 24, 2014.

Giannis Antetokounmpo missed the Milwaukee Bucks’ Game 3 loss at the Miami Heat, falling to 2-1 in the series.

Antetokounmpo has not played since Sunday, when he injured his back .

“He’s just not ready to go,” Mike Budenholzer said Saturday before Game 3. “I don’t think it’s always a linear thing. He’s not in a place where he can go. We’ll continue to monitor him, work with him and hope for the best.”

Antetokounmpo has not practiced with the team since, but he did some individual work on the court Friday in Milwaukee. Following Saturday morning’s shootaround, Antetokounmpo was getting stretched out by the team’s training staff and walked toward the team bus with his back taped and iced.

He was listed as questionable heading into the game.

Draymond Green was suspended for Game 3, which the Golden State Warriors won to move their first round series against the Sacramento Kings to 2-1.

Green promises not to change the way he approaches the game.

“They created a Draymond rule before, that s— don’t work. I’m still sitting here,” Green said after practice Saturday.

“Draymond won’t be moved by the Draymond rule,” Green added. “I’ll continue to play the game how I play the game, operate how I operate, be exactly who I am because that leads to winning. If I was losing, they wouldn’t be creating Draymond rules. As long as they create Draymond rules, that means we’re winning and that’s great … but it doesn’t change Draymond.”

Victor Oladipo was helped off the court during the fourth quarter of the Game 3 victory bu the Miami Heat over the Milwaukee Bucks. Oladipo yelled an expletive and immediately began clutching his left knee on the ground after the incident.

A stretcher was brought out to the floor to assist him to the locker room, but Oladipo waved it off. He is scheduled to undergo further testing on Sunday morning.

“We’ll just have to see,” Spoelstra said. “I feel like throwing up right now, but I don’t know what the prognosis is. I want to stay positive on this, and we’ll just see what happens.”