What DiVincenzo's absence on road trip means for Warriors

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SAN FRANCISCO -- As the Warriors continue to wait on Andre Iguodala's return to the court, they'll also continue to be without another of their top offseason additions. 

Donte DiVincenzo will miss his second straight game Thursday night against the Miami Heat as he deals with a left hamstring strain. And the Warriors likely won't have the guard for a handful of games. They begin a five-game road trip starting Saturday in Charlotte, and Steve Kerr doesn't expect DiVincenzo to be available at all. 

"Unlikely to play on the road trip," Kerr said roughly 90 minutes before tip-off against the Heat. "Hamstrings are tricky and there's no point in falling behind on that by pushing the envelope. He's unlikely to play on the trip." 

DiVincenzo sustained his hamstring injury in the third quarter of the Warriors' win Sunday over the Sacramento Kings. He originally was not going to join the team in Phoenix, but made the trip and received treatment during the team's shootaround session at Arizona State University. 

Through his first three games with the Warriors, the 25-year-old guard is averaging 5.0 points and 1.0 assist while playing 14 minutes per game off the bench. 

With DiVincenzo out for an extended period of time, Kerr will turn to two-way player Ty Jerome as an extra playmaker off the bench and on-ball option alongside Jordan Poole. 

"We need another playmaker with Jordan on the floor, another ball-handler," Kerr said. "I think Donte and Jordan showed in the preseason in the first couple of games that they really complement each other well. I thought Ty was really good the other night. 

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"We had a good stretch with him on the floor early in the fourth, partly because the ball started to move. We found a rhythm and that's why Ty's here. He's a two-way guy, but he's a proven NBA player and fits our style well. So with Donte out, he's going to be getting minutes." 

After being inactive for the first three games of the season, Jerome played more than 12 minutes in the Warriors' loss Tuesday night to the Phoenix Suns. He missed his only shot attempt, a 3-pointer, but dished two assists and grabbed one rebound. Jerome also committed two fouls and was a minus-8 in plus-minus.

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Rookies Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Ryan Rollins, both of whom were with the Warriors' G League affiliate in Santa Cruz when the Warriors visited the Suns, will be with the team for the duration of the upcoming road trip.

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