Given minutes, McGee does well

LOS ANGELES — In a season plagued by trade rumblings and infrequent playing time, Warriors center JaVale McGee finally got an extended chance Saturday against the Clippers to show he can contribute.

In 13 minutes, McGee had a season-high-tying 11 points on 4-for-5 shooting to go with four rebounds and two blocks. It was the most he had played since he logged 15 minutes in Golden State’s Dec. 8 win at Detroit.

“We were shuffling a little because there were some lineups we weren’t used to,” McGee said. “But I definitely worked hard. I tried to play good defense and stay focused out there.”

As the league trends toward small-ball lineups, head coach Steve Kerr has less use for McGee, a 7-foot, 270-pound center whose best skills — running the floor, throwing down alley-oops, swatting shots — are maximized against towering frontcourts. He entered Saturday averaging a career-worst 8.1 minutes per game.

With Kevon Looney and Jordan Bell emerging as smallball centers capable of guarding multiple positions off screens, McGee has only topped the 10-minute mark 10 times this season. It all has left Golden State open to trading McGee.

Along the way, McGee has

stayed late after practices, working on guarding guards and forwards, and hoping that his efforts will be rewarded with a spot in the rotation. Kerr played McGee more than usual Saturday because he needed another big man to match up with the Clippers’ oversize frontcourt.

McGee had his moments Saturday, including an alley-oop dunk in transition, but his minutes will likely continue to fluctuate based on opponents.

“It’s all about finding the right matchups,,” Kerr said.

Injury reports: Many were surprised when six names surfaced on the Warriors’ injury report after the team announced Saturday morning that Kevin Durant (right calf strain) would be the only one to sit out against the Clippers. Kerr said the team might be a bit too diligent about following the NBA’s new protocol to list even minor injuries.

“That’s the first time I had ever heard about that,” Kerr said of the sprained right ankle that had Stephen Curry listed as probable on the injury report. “Nobody has said anything to me about Steph . ... Maybe we’re going overboard” on listing injuries.