Injury puts damper on ‘nice’ night for West

The Warriors had a bit of a scare with 9 minutes and 59 seconds left in Game 2 of their firstround playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs.

David West sustained a left ankle sprain while guarding LaMarcus Aldridge and limped off the court.

He sat on the bench for a while, fielding questions from Warriors’ head trainer Chelsea Lane before he was evaluated in the locker room. Luckily for the already short-handed Warriors, West’s injury was not thought to be serious and he was allowed to return to the game even though he didn’t play.

“He said it’s not too bad, so we’ll see what happens,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.

West has been a key piece of the Warriors’ second unit. The 37-year-old, in his 15th season in the league, is averaging 6.8 points on a career-high 57.1 percent shooting from the field.

In the Warriors’ 116-101 win on Monday, West had 10 points in just over 14 minutes on 3-for-3 shooting to help the Warriors take a 2-0 series lead. He also had four rebounds.

“David was big for us,” Kerr said. “He gives us a scoring threat at that five spot, both from the perimeter and inside. He had a really nice night tonight.”

Throughout the season, Kerr has said that West looks as though he were a decade younger. West, who played for the Spurs from 2015-16, signed a deal with the Warriors in 2016 because he wanted to win a championship.

Accomplishing that goal last season only whetted his appetite for another title.

It’s a good thing for the Warriors considering West has been the fulcrum of the second unit. Kerr acknowledged that when West got hurt, one thing went through his mind — concern. “We need him,” Kerr said.

• Spurs coach Gregg Popovich always had a feeling that Kerr would make a great coach.

“Oh sure,” Popovich said Monday. “I mean, are you kidding me? He played for Phil (Jackson) for 97 years.”

Of course, Kerr also played under Popovich in two stints, from 1998-2001 and 2002-2003. Popovich said he’s not surprised that Kerr has led the Warriors to three Finals appearances and two NBA championships in four seasons.

“I would’ve been surprised if he wasn’t doing well, frankly,” Popovich said. “He’s a grown man. He’s experienced as hell. He knows what wins and loses. He’s had the experience as a GM before he did this. He’s seen it from all angles. And he’s been in enough locker rooms and seen enough interpersonal relationships between players and coaches. He’s just a natural. Nothing surprises me.”

Popovich and Kerr have remained close over the last 19 years. And since the series began, they’ve delivered eloquent speeches about how much they respect one another. They also poke each other nonstop.

Kerr joked that he can’t wait to see the anguish on Popovich’s face when the Spurs lose the series. And Popovich joked that Kerr is a “bad person” and a “dishonest individual” after a reporter told him about some of the compliments Kerr gave him.

Both coaches want to win. After all, their seasons hinge on this series.

But it’s also a particularly fun matchup for them.

“Doing that against one of your best friends, we’re pretty lucky to be doing this,” Kerr said.

Added Popovich, “I enjoy it more if we beat them.”

• Popovich and Kerr came to an agreement before Monday’s game — no more jokes about Kerr’s son, Nick.

Nick is a video coordinator for the Spurs, and Popovich has maintained all season that he’s a spy for his father.

“He does not want any of this attention. I think the jokes may be over,” Kerr said. “We have to move past that. That poor guy.”

Popovich enjoyed it while it lasted — but he agreed that the teasing has gotten stale.