Warriors coach Steve Kerr says the score of their playoff series against the Rockets will not factor in to when Stephen Curry returns from an ankle issue.
The Warriors went up 2-0 on the Rockets in the first-round series with a 115-106 win Monday at Oracle Arena but were forced to do so without the reigning MVP.
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Curry, who tweaked his right ankle in the series opener and played just under 20 minutes as a result, watched from the sideline, having made the decision not to play after taking part in team warmups.
Golden State travels to Houston in search of a sweep with games Thursday and Sunday at the Toyota Center.
Asked if the 2-0 series lead would make him more inclined to not risk Curry in Game 3, Kerr told reporters: "I'd think that if it were 1-1 and he was still not able to play then we wouldn't play him. We wouldn't want to put winning ahead of a player's career and his health, we've seen teams do that and pay for it. Players have paid for it in the past, we want to make sure Steph is right and his foot is fine and healthy. We'll see how he responds the next couple of days and, if he's not right, obviously being up 2-0 does give us a little more cushion if we decided to sit him but it'll be based on his health not the series score."
And, in truth, the decision on Curry's availability is out of Kerr's hands.
"It's really what the training staff says and what Steph says about how he's feeling," Kerr said. "He didn't feel it during warmups. He tried to see how it would feel and he tried to push off on it and it was tender, so we weren't going to take a chance. He made the decision (not to play). I was in here doing media when he was out on the floor so I went back to the locker room and the other coaches told me he was out. We'll talk to him (Tuesday) and see where he is but fortunately we don't play till Thursday and he's got some time to get some treatment."
Pressed on whether the blow is to his ankle or foot, Kerr replied: "I don't know, honestly. It's both. I'm not sure I know the difference, it's the back of his foot, it's underneath the ankle. It's something down there."