BOSTON — Steve Kerr had no new information on Steph Curry’s injured foot, but the Golden State coach expected the Warriors’ star guard would be in the lineup against the Celtics for Game 4 on Friday at TD Garden.
With just one day between games, the only time that will happen in this series, the Warriors elected not to practice Thursday so Curry didn’t test his foot that he injured at the bottom of a fourth-quarter pile up.
“I haven’t talked to him,” Kerr said. “We’re expecting him to play.”
Kerr’s comments echoed Curry’s from Wednesday night. Curry said he thought the injury was similar to the foot sprain he suffered in March against the Celtics, but not as bad.
“I’ll be all right. I got caught — obviously in some pain, but I’ll be all right. See how it feels tomorrow and get ready for Friday. Same thing I did against Boston in the regular season, but not as bad,” Curry said. “We’ll see how it responds. Not much other to say. I don’t feel like I’ll miss a game. Take advantage of these next 48 hours to get ready.”
Curry had a game-high 31 points, his third straight game leading Golden State.
DRAYMOND GREEN continues to get under the skin of some Celtics and fans throughout the NBA Finals, which has caused for some chippiness and at least a few words exchanged. The latest interaction came early in the second quarter between Green and the Celtics’ Grant Williams in Game 3.
Williams set an illegal screen on Green, which the refs called for the offensive foul. Green was knocked down to the ground and appeared to inadvertently tangle up with Williams’ feet. After Green got up, he started clapping and celebrating the call.
Williams wasn’t exactly thrilled as he started to walk toward the other end of the court. He bumped shoulders with the clapping Green as more words were exchanged. That’s when Williams actually started talking, and after the two were separated, Green kept clapping in Williams’ direction. Williams said he did say something to Green during the interaction, which perhaps contributed to the kerfuffle.
“It’s not PG, so I’m not saying it,” Williams said of what he said to Green. “Next thing you know, I think that’s why the clapping started, then he kind of bumped me, and that’s when I took offense. But it’s just that competitive edge. Nothing that leaves the court. If I see him, same thing. If we’re on the court, we’re opposite ends.”
“That’s who I am,” Green said. “I’m always going to do whatever I can for my teammates. I think that’s just my M.O., that’s who I’ve always been. In saying that, that doesn’t excuse my play, how poorly I played last night. I’ll continue to be that guy, no matter what.”
SEVERAL MEMBERS of the Warriors were not happy with the profane chants that the TD Garden crowd sent Draymond Green’s way on multiple occasions during Game 3.
“We’ve played in front of rude people before. Dropping f-bombs with children in the crowd. Real classy. Good job, Boston,” Klay Thompson said.
“Classy, very classy,” Coach Steve Kerr added .
Grant Williams went to bat for Boston fans after Celtics practice on Thursday, defending the fanbase’s passion when asked about some of the Game 3 chants.
“Not the worst things I’ve heard, I feel like,” Williams said. “Some of those chants, you just accept. Some people respond to them well, some embrace them; others, they shy away from them.
“I feel like the Garden fans don’t hold back. That’s what I love about them. They’re going to be there for you on the positive side, and they’re going to let you know whether you’re doing the right thing or not. When we were losing last year, they were doing the same thing to us. So we respect it.”
Green said after Game 3 that he was embracing the villain role in the series in Boston and was unbothered by the crowd’s venom toward him. Williams said he takes on a similar mentality himself.
“As a player for me, I love it because at the end of the day they’re doing it for a reason,” Williams said of fan chants. “So you either accept it, especially if you’re on the road, like you’re going to get that no matter where you go. You walk down the street, you’re going to get something like that.
“For me, it’s like you got to accept it. You better enjoy it and take it as a competitive edge and use it against them. Next thing you know, you guys go on a run, you shut them up, now you can talk trash back.”
As the Celtics try to take a commanding 3-1 series lead in Game 4 on Friday night, Williams hopes his teammates will be able to continue using the Garden crowd’s energy to their advantage.
“It was exciting. Not only was the competitive edge there from both teams, but also the energy in the Garden,” Williams said. “We had the fans behind us. They didn’t shut up. That’s the best part about it. No matter if we had a bad run or good run, they were there the entire time for us. That’s something you love to have as a team.”
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