Curry, Duncan trying get through it

SAN ANTONIO — The two best players in the Western Conference semifinal series between the Warriors and the Spurs are both ailing, and neither one wants to admit it.

Warriors point guard Stephen Curry has an irritated eye, a deep bruise on his hip/ hamstring area and is playing on a badly sprained ankle that isn’t the twice surgically repaired one. San Antonio power forward Tim Duncan was so ill that he couldn’t lift his head to watch timeout instructions during the Spurs’ Game 1 victory Monday.

“I’m feeling pretty good,” Curry said Tuesday, a day after playing 57:56 of a 58-minute game. “No problems, at all. I felt good. Coach and I had conversations throughout the game — just making sure I was still fresh.

“Obviously, I’m a competitor, so there aren’t many times when I’m going to say, ‘Take me out.’ He decided to keep me in.”

Duncan wasn’t so “lucky.” Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said Duncan’s “eyes were lost” and “he wasn’t himself.” San Antonio head coach Gregg Popovich allowed the big man to play only 5:09 in the fourth quarter and two overtimes.

“He gave it a shot, but it became pretty apparent that he wasn’t going to tell me the truth anymore,” Popovich said. “I had to pull the plug myself, because he’s a competitor and he didn’t want to come off the floor.”

Duncan said he felt much better after Tuesday’s practice, and he anticipated the day and a half leading to Wednesday’s Game 2would allow the virus time to work its way through his system.

Duncan had 19 points and 11 rebounds in the opener. Curry countered with 44 points and 11 assists.

Warriors head coach Mark Jackson said he feels as though his point guard can get through the heavy minutes because he finds him on-court rest time. For stretches, Curry isn’t strapped with ball-handling and decision-making responsibilities on offense, and he often defends the spot-up shooter on opposing squads so he doesn’t have to move and bump as much.

“I trained hard all summer to last through a season and play heavy minutes,” said Curry, who found a second wind in the second overtime when he felt his legs were stronger than at the end of regulation. “It’s nice to have all of that hard work paying off.

“Right now is the time.”