Nuggets’ Kenneth Faried to Play Sunday After Suffering Scary Neck Injury

Klay Thompson split the defense with a driving hoop with 15.6 seconds remaining in overtime Saturday night, breaking a tie and propelling the Golden State Warriors to a 111-108 victory over the Denver Nuggets.

Following the Nuggets’ overtime loss to the Warriors, forward Kenneth Faried had to leave Oracle Arena in a stretcher after colliding with a teammate and apparently hurting his neck.

Marc Gasol scored 20 for Memphis to go with seven rebounds and four assists. Green’s 18 first-quarter points were a career best for a single quarter.

Curry finished with five points and four assists in 14 minutes.

Spurs: Tim Duncan had no points, four rebounds, and two assists in 13 minutes in his return from a three-game absence.

It looked grim for the Warriors, who have preached that another championship trumps everything else, and that playing starters big minutes on a constant basis wasn’t going to happen. But Curry had to depart the game with 2:16 left in the first half after getting kicked in the area of the left shin contusion he suffered against Sacramento on Monday. The Golden State Warriors are shooting 42.3 percent from beyond the arc and 74.7 percent from the free throw line. The reigning NBA MVP could be back as soon as Saturday and coach Steve Kerr (back), who made the road trip to Texas, and forward Harrison Barnes (ankle) are inching closer to their own returns for the Warriors.

According to Curry, the injury occurred when a Nuggets player made with his leg in the second quarter.

His six triple doubles this season ranks second in Golden State history. 500 on the season, the Charlotte Hornets are looking to string together a nice run and make a bid at a playoff berth by the end of the year. G/F Brandon Rush missed the game with right hamstring tightness, and C Festus Ezeli sat out his third game in a row with a sore left toe. The team fears that Faried fractured a vertebrate in his neck – though that suspicion has not yet been confirmed.

“We told the guys we need everyone else to step up, but not in an individual attitude, as ‘I’m going to go get these points for us, ‘” Walton said.

“He’s doing more and more”, Walton said.