OAKLAND, Calif. -- Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green made it sound as if he will return to the starting lineup Monday night against the Atlanta Hawks.
"I think everything is going to be based on how I feel pregame," Green said after Monday's shootaround session, "but I'm pretty confident I'll be playing."
Green suffered a left ankle contusion in Friday's 109-85 road win against the Los Angeles Lakers, and sat out Saturday's 115-102 home win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The incident occurred in the third quarter when Green appeared to graze teammate Ian Clark on the throat and twisted his left ankle, and as Green fell, he inadvertently struck Clark on the head with his right knee.
Both players left the game and would not return. Clark did not play Saturday as well.
"It feels good," Green said of his ankle. "It's still a little tender, but it's probably going to be that until whatever."
Typically, it's a battle to get Green to take a game off. He wanted to play Saturday but the organization convinced him it was in his best interest to take the evening off.
Due to it being so early in the season, Green chose not to fight it.
"Pushing through it on Game 15 is a little on the extra side," he said. "It's not easy. It's boring sitting out. It's not fun at all. I'd rather not."
Green says this isn't an injury he's overly concerned with and described it as a fluke accident.
"How many times are you going to come down on somebody's neck? Maybe foot," Green said. "Coming down on someone's foot all the time, but coming down on someone's neck, it was weird."