Forward Draymond Green and center Zaza Pachulia are doubtful for Thursday night’s game against Dallas, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said.
Green has been dealing with right shoulder soreness for more than a week. After sitting out last Wednesday’s win over Charlotte, he returned for Friday’s win over Detroit, overcoming a 1-for-6 shooting night with 13 assists, six rebounds, six blocks and three steals.
Green was ruled out of Monday’s win over Portland after experiencing nagging shoulder pain. He missed practice Wednesday, and Kerr said, “I’d be shocked if he played (against Dallas). It doesn’t make any sense for him to play.”
Pachulia, who has missed three of Golden State’s past four games with left shoulder soreness, also did not practice Wednesday. Neither did guard Nick Young, whose status for Thursday’s game is in flux after he suffered a concussion in Monday’s win over Portland.
Young entered the NBA’s concussion protocol Tuesday. Per the league, a player in the concussion protocol program can’t return to the floor until the following:
- He is without concussion-related symptoms at rest.
- He has been evaluated by a physician.
- He has successfully completed the NBA return-to-participation exertion protocol.
- A team physician has discussed the return-to-participation process and decision with the Director of the NBA concussion program, Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher.
Here is a closer look at what the NBA’s Return-to-Participation protocol consists of, according to the NBA:
- The return to participation protocol involves several steps of increasing exertion - from a stationary bike, to jogging, to agility work, to non-contact team drills.
- With each step, a player must be symptom free to move to the next step. If a player is not symptom free after a step, he stops until he is symptom free and begins again at the previous step of the protocol (i.e., the last step he passed without any symptoms).
- It’s important to note that there is no time frame to complete the protocol. Each injury and player is different and recovery time can vary in each case.
Guard Stephen Curry is expected to get his sprained right ankle re-evaluated next week. After practice Wednesday, he was seen getting in work on the stationary bike.
Connor Letourneau is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cletourneau@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @Con_Chron