Stephen Curry out for Game 3 against Rockets with ankle sprain

HOUSTON -- Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr began his pregame news conference with an instantaneous update on Stephen Curry's status.

"Guess I'll supersede the questions," Kerr said. "Steph will not play tonight."

Kerr stated that it was "a very easy decision."

Curry injured his right ankle in Game 1 on Saturday, in what the team deemed a sprain. He missed Game 2, after his regular pregame warm up ended abruptly.

"We talked to him after shootaround today, and he felt pretty good. " Kerr said, on how the decision to sit Curry was made. "He moved well. He wanted to play. But ultimately we didn't feel comfortable after four straight days of inactivity, throwing him into the middle of a playoff game, not knowing how the ankle would respond."

The decision to sit did not originate with Curry, according to Kerr.

"His thought was that he would be OK," Kerr said. "We just felt a lot more comfortable putting him through a 3-on-3 tomorrow, probably a 5-on-5 on Saturday and really seeing if he's OK or not."

Kerr, along with Golden State's training staff and team doctor, concluded that the risk outweighed the rewards.

"It wasn't worth the risk if we'd put him out there tonight and he had reinjured it," said Kerr, whose team leads the series, 2-0. "That's too big of a risk.

"We'll see what happens the next couple days and hopefully he'll be ready to go for Game 4."

The Warriors will start backup guard Shaun Livingston in place of Curry for Game 3.

Kerr said Curry accepted the decision.

"He wanted to play, but he's also very practical, and he understands the thinking," Kerr said. "And he understands that better safe than sorry."