Two games into the Warriors' preseason schedule, Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry have not played together, but that wasn't necessarily a coaching decision in Wednesday's 118-101 loss to the Lakers at the Honda Center in Anaheim. Just 1:23 into the game, Ellis sprained his left ankle after he missed a baseline jumper and stepped on a courtside photographer. Ellis limped down the court, hobbled to the bench and, eventually, went to the locker room. He did not return, and the Warriors are listing him as day-to-day with another game against the Lakers on Friday and an outdoor game against Phoenix on Saturday. It's the same ankle that cost Ellis 57 games last season.
Kelenna Azubuike, the Warriors' best player in the preseason opener Sunday, missed the game with a sprained left ankle.
In their absence, Curry scored 11 points, but committed six turnovers to four assists. Anthony Morrow led the Warriors with 25 points, and Anthony Randolph had 18 points and a team-high 12 rebounds.
We're talkin' about practice: Grizzlies guard Allen Iverson could miss three weeks after an MRI exam revealed a partial tear in his left hamstring. The Grizzlies made the announcement before Wednesday night's exhibition win over Oklahoma City in Memphis. If the timetable is correct, Iverson would miss all of preseason, and his status for the Oct. 28 season opener would be in jeopardy.
King and his court: LeBron James, who called Braylon Edwards "childish" for allegedly punching one of the James' friends outside a nightclub earlier this week, didn't take the opportunity of Edwards being traded to New York to take another swipe at the former Browns wide receiver.
"Nothing to comment on," James said when asked about Edwards being dealt to the Jets. "You guys never asked me before about any other trades in the NFL. It's not my sport to worry about."
James also said he's confident he can count on teammate Delonte West, who has left the Cavs for the second time during training camp, although this time with the team's blessing.
"He's one of the ones that we know is going to be there no matter what," James said. "When he's out on that court, he forgets about everything else going on in his personal life. We're looking forward to getting him back, but he's going to take as much time as he needs."
