It’s Unclear When Harrison Barnes Will Return From Ankle Injury

Harrison Barnes had been such a reliable component to the Warriors’ rotations – 205 consecutive games, 120 straight starts – that they hadn’t needed to do a lot of lineup experimentation that didn’t include him. X-rays were negative, the team said. Well now they have an injury to deal with to Harrison Barnes but fortunately it doesn’t appear to be too serious, according to Rusty Simmons of The San Francisco Chronicle.

Now, he will also likely be out when the Dubs take on the Utah Jazz (Monday), Charlotte Hornets (Wednesday), and the Toronto Raptors (Saturday), with all three games being part of a seven-game Eastern Conference road trip for the defending champions. Warriors interim coach Luke Walton told reporters Saturday that the team would be cautious with Barnes’ return and said they want to avoid “lingering injuries”.

It’s only a sprained ankle, which means between a week and a few weeks.

The rarely used Brandon Rush got the start in place of Barnes against the Kings, and he delivered with 16 points in 19 minutes.

In his three year career the former North Carolina Tar Heel has been somewhat of an ironman as he had only missed five total games before this season.

Barnes, 23, is Golden State’s third-leading scorer and is averaging 13.4 points and 5.0 rebounds in 17 games this season.