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Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson has been scratched lated from Tuesday’s contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to a back injury. Thompson was not on the injury report for most of the day, but got listed about an hour before the opening tip and was subsequently ruled out.
Latest injury report shows Klay Thompson is OUT with low back soreness against OKC.
— Kerith Burke (@KerithBurke) April 5, 2023
The Warriors have generally been cautious with Thompson since he returned from a pair of leg injuries last season. They’ve sat him on one game of back-to-back sets and earlier this season, head coach Steve Kerr said Thompson might not play a back-to-back set all year. That thinking eventually changed, but the Warriors are always going to err on the side of caution with Thompson.
This is not a new issue. Thompson was scratched late with a back issue earlier this season as well. The Warriors don’t want to risk him ahead of the postseason, although the standings in the West show they could use Thompson’s services in this matchup.
With Thompson sidelined, look for Jordan Poole and Donte DiVincenzo to be bigger factors in the rotation. Both should see more shots and will have increased value in fantasy/DFS formats.