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Steve Kerr’s late-season maintenance program begins Friday night in Minnesota, where the coach made the decision to rest veteran point guard Shaun Livingston when the Warriors face the Timberwolves at Target Center.
With the Warriors playing their fourth game during a stretch in which they play five in seven days, it’s conceivable that Kerr also would sit a player or two Saturday, when they face the Spurs in San Antonio.
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With three more back-to-back sets over the final four weeks, Kerr said rest nights would be dictated largely by the schedule and also in consultation with individual players and the training staff.
“We keep track of a lot of data that’s available,” Kerr said late Wednesday night in Oakland, after a 99-86 loss to the Celtics. “So I’m regularly consulting with our training staff right now, with the difficulty of the schedule.”
The Warriors have had only one full practice over the past week (Saturday in New York). The schedule influenced Kerr’s decision for an “optional” practice upon arrival Thursday night in Minnesota.
Though Livingston surely won’t be the last player to get a breather, his recent numbers indicate he may need this. Normally very accurate, he is shooting 13.3 percent (2-of-15) over the past four games, falling to 54.0 percent this season.
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Asked if the pursuit of the No. 1 seed would be a factor in determining rest, Kerr was firm in his reply.
“We still want the No. 1 seed,” he said. “I won’t run guys ragged to get it.”