Warriors' new starting five is plus-22 as Kerr rations Curry, Green and Horford

The Warriors' best lineup so far has been the one they could not count on having. Draymond Green, Yaxel Lendeborg, Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski and Gui Santos are plus-22 together in the first week, ESPN's Anthony Slater reported Wednesday, but they have started together only once in four games, because Steve Kerr is managing the minutes of an old roster from the first night.

That was clearest on Saturday in Phoenix. On the second night of a back-to-back, and the third game in four days, the Warriors rested Curry (right knee), Green, Podziemski and Al Horford (all low back), according to the Associated Press recap on ESPN. Curry had said after Friday's loss to Memphis that he "probably" would not play. The Warriors lost 131-122 to fall to 0-3, then won 134-114 at Denver on Monday with all four back.

The minutes so far

From ESPN's box scores:

• Curry, 38, has played 21, 30 and 27 minutes in his three games, scoring 23, 24 and 24. He tweaked his right ankle in a scrimmage before the opener and played through it.
• Green, 36, has played 21, 31 and 27 minutes, and started at center on opening night. Slater reported the team knows what playing center costs his body; two-way rookie Graham Ike started in his place against Memphis's size, and again in Phoenix.
• Horford, 40 and in his 20th season, has played 17, 19 and 19 minutes and, per Slater, is not playing both nights of back-to-backs.
• Podziemski, 23, missed the opener with lower back soreness and sat in Phoenix to manage it, and played 33 minutes in each of the other two. He was one of 18 players to appear in all 82 games last season and signed a five-year, $110 million extension this month.

Ike, the undrafted center from Gonzaga, is on a two-way contract that limits him to 50 games unless the Warriors convert it, Slater reported. Charles Bassey has been the other big body off the bench.

Why it matters this week

The Warriors have four games in six days, and the last two are a back-to-back at Chase Center: the Clippers on Sunday, Nov. 1, and the Suns on Monday, Nov. 2. Going by the first week, Horford is unlikely to play both, and Curry, Green and Podziemski are candidates for rest on one of the two nights. Rest decisions show up on the league's injury report, so check it on the day of each game.

The thin spots are not new. Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody are recovering from knee injuries, with Moody expected back first, sometime in December or January, and Kristaps Porzingis is away from the team. Until they return, the Warriors are leaning on bench players: De'Anthony Melton scored 25 and Brandon Williams 20 on the night in Phoenix that four regulars sat.

The schedule and every result are on the Warriors page. Prices for Clippers at Warriors and Suns at Warriors will go up on the board once the venues post them.