Andre Iguodala Frustrated by Loss to Timberwolves, Being Rested vs. Spurs

Golden State Warriors sixth man Andre Iguodala used a pair of race-related remarks Friday night while discussing the team's loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves and head coach Steve Kerr's decision to rest several key players for Saturday's high-profile clash with the San Antonio Spurs.

Chris Haynes of ESPN passed along comments the veteran swingman made after being asked whether he was alerted before Friday's game that he'd be sitting against the Spurs.

"Nope, no clue," Iguodala said. "I do what master say."

He later tried to clarify the remark to ESPN, calling it an "inside locker room joke." His statement about the 103-102 loss to Minnesota was even more direct, though.

"We gotta score more than the other team," Iguodala said. "Yep, they want dumb n----rs, so I'm going to give y'all a dumb n----r."

Kerr discussed the comments with the media before the Spurs game, per Haynes:

Kerr confirmed Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green would join Iguodala on the sideline for Saturday's meeting between the NBA's top two teams. He explained it's the right move based on the travel and the upcoming schedule, per ESPN.

"We're going to get [to San Antonio] at 3 a.m.," Kerr said after the Timberwolves loss. "Those guys are all playing big minutes, and this would give them three days before our home game, and then we'll have a whole week at home next week and a chance to get recharged."

Fellow superstar Kevin Durant also remains out of the Warriors lineup as he recovers from a knee injury, which will leave Golden State extremely shorthanded for the nationally televised game.

Although the pointed words from Iguodala suggest a potential rift between Kerr and himself, he told ESPN that's not the case: "Me and Steve are cool. [People] can think what they want to think."

Meanwhile, Rachel Nichols of ESPN noted Spurs MVP candidate Kawhi Leonard will also miss a game that's suddenly lost a lot of its luster:

The emotional exchange comes amid a rare slump for the star-studded Warriors. They have lost four of their last six games, including two straight, after posting a 50-9 record before the skid.

That's allowed the red-hot Spurs, who've won nine of their last 10, to make up quite a bit of ground in the race to earn the top seed in the Western Conference. San Antonio trails Golden State by just 1.5 games ahead of the head-to-head meeting.

The teams are scheduled to play again March 29. That's also the second game of a back-to-back situation for the Warriors, however, so Kerr may opt to rest at least some of his stars again with an eye toward keeping them healthy and rested for the playoffs.