Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson could return on the weekend but Andre Iguodala will probably not feature after suffering a sore knee in Thursday's loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, according to head coach Steve Kerr.
Thompson missed eight consecutive games for the reigning NBA champions since fracturing his thumb on his shooting right hand against the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 11.
However, he has been attending practice sessions recently and is also shooting with both hands as Kerr claims a return against the Sacramento Kings on Saturday is a possibility, though anything can happen as they take it "day by day."
"Possibly Saturday," Kerr said before the loss to the Bucks. "But we're taking it day by day."
"He felt great yesterday, got in a really good workout. We'll just make it day to day. But there's a chance he could play Saturday. And there's also a chance he will not play on Sunday, either. He's literally day-to-day. But he's getting close."
Thompson's return serves as a huge boost with the NBA playoffs approaching as the Warriors have experienced a major injury crisis in March, having also played games without the likes of Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green.
Durant and Green notably returned against the Bucks on Thursday night but the duo were not able to prevent a seventh loss in the Bay Area side's last 10 regular season games as they lost 116-107.
Durant scored 10 points with 4-for-10 shooting, six assists and three rebounds in 17 minutes before getting ejected in the second quarter for a second technical foul after aggressively asking the official why he was not given a foul while attempting a layup.
With the Houston Rockets clinching their place as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, the loss would not have been all bad news given that the Warriors, who are in second, were now closer to full health in terms of their roster.
However, they suffered another setback as Iguodala left the game with a sore knee after replacing Durant in the second half.
The forward started to limp after missing a layup in the third quarter and was ruled out for the rest of the game with Kerr revealing afterward he was unlikely to feature against the Kings.
Curry, meanwhile, will be reevaluated April 14 after suffering a Grade 2 MCL sprain last week against the Atlanta Hawks. While Kerr did not seem optimistic of the 30-year-old's chances of playing in the first round of the NBA playoffs, Curry is determined to return as quickly as possible.
"Hopefully, I prove what coach said was wrong and put myself in position to get back as soon as possible," Curry recently told reporters. "But right now, who knows? Just try to do my job in the rehab process and get back as soon as I can."
"Based on what I've been told, three weeks is a good benchmark to re-evaluate and reassess where I'm at in my progress. Mentally, for me, [I'm just] staying positive and staying upbeat."