Kerr expects no one to sit out for back-to-back games coming up

The Warriors rested backup point guard Shaun Livingston on Sunday night, but head coach Steve Kerr said he doesn’t anticipate sitting anyone for the back-to-back games Tuesday and Wednesday.

Livingston, a 12th-year guard, is averaging 6.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 19.3 minutes per game, and he’s taken on more of the ball-handling and decision-making duties since Andre Iguodala has been out with an ankle injury.

Iguodala missed his ninth straight game, and backup center Festus Ezeli (left knee) missed his 28th consecutive game. The team was also without rookie power forward Kevon Looney (right hip).

“We’re just down players already, so it’s not like we have a full roster and we can pick and choose guys” to rest, Kerr said. “We’re down two of our main guys, with Festus and Andre. It’s kind of hard to rest guys when other people are already out.”

Kerr said both Ezeli and Iguodala are “progressing nicely.” Ezeli has advanced to post-practice half-court scrimmages, and Iguodala is “still a little bit of a way away from playing.”

Since Iguodala has been sidelined, Livingston has been bumped to 20 minutes per game. It’s only a slight nudge in playing time, but his numbers — which have jumped to three rebounds, 4.1 assists and nearly twice his average in steals — show his increased activity.

In his absence, the Warriors generally relied on Ian Clark for backup point-guard minutes. Reserve forwards Brandon Rush and James Michael McAdoo also saw extended playing time with the Warriors’ small unit.

“When you sit guys, it’s not just to give them rest. It’s to empower everybody else,” Kerr said. “When you give young guys a responsibility of, ‘Hey, we’ve got to get minutes out of you,’ it strengthens the entire team. It strengthens the bonds within the team, and it gives everybody more of a feeling of ownership.”

Speaking of bonding: The Warriors were given all day Saturday and Sunday morning off, but many of the players still spent time together.

Backup big man Anderson Varejao hosted some of his teammates for a Saturday afternoon feast catered by Fogo de Chao, and some of the team spent the evening watching Andre Ward’s fight at Oracle Arena. The togetherness is even more common on road trips.

On their most recent three-game trip, the Warriors had an early dinner at Nobu in Dallas and an NCAA Tournament watching party. They ate at Ruth Chris Steakhouse after Saturday’s game in San Antonio and had a dinner/watching party at Hubert’s Sports Bar & Grill in Minneapolis.

“Our ownership is really generous with that, and it’s a big part of continuing to build the camaraderie and the spirit,” Kerr said. “It’s a first-class operation. A lot of teams don’t do that, but our ownership is really committed. They understand the importance of events like that.”