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Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors left Sacramento on Friday night with plenty of uncertainty surrounding Stephen Curry. He had rolled his right ankle in the first three minutes against the Kings, finished with just 11 points in 27 minutes, and sat with his foot in an ice bath postgame. With Wednesday’s play-in looming, the last thing Golden State needed was another injury setback.
The news on Saturday removed that concern. Per Anthony Slater of ESPN, Curry has been officially cleared to play Sunday against the Los Angeles Clippers. He wants a full workload. And he is not worried about the ankle.
For a Warriors team searching for rhythm heading into the play-in, that is exactly the update they needed.
Curry Cleared and Ready to Go
GettyStephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors .
Curry was direct when addressing his status ahead of Sunday’s finale at Crypto.com Arena.
“I’ll be all right,” Curry said. “As long as it’s not my knee. I can deal with ankles. I’ve been dealing with that forever.”
He confirmed the knee, which kept him out for 27 games earlier this season, actually felt better than it did in his previous outing. The ankle tweak is not a concern going forward. Curry said he wants to play his normal 32 to 34 minutes against the Clippers to build rhythm and conditioning ahead of Wednesday.
Steve Kerr confirmed the plan on Saturday.
“The plan is to play Steph,” Kerr said. “He wants to build his rhythm and his conditioning. We’ll make sure that health is the No. 1 priority, but rhythm comes after that.”
What Sunday Is Really About for the Warriors
The result against the Clippers is largely irrelevant in terms of standings. Golden State is locked into the No. 10 seed regardless of what happens. Sunday is about getting Curry and the rest of the returning players more reps together before the do-or-die play-in game on Wednesday.
Curry has only played three games since returning from his knee injury. He exploded for 29 points in his first game back, managed 17 in his second, and was limited to 11 on Friday with the ankle scare disrupting his rhythm early. The goal on Sunday is to find something more consistent.
Brandin Podziemski, who scored a career-high 30 points Friday, put it plainly after the Kings loss.
“We’ve just got to get a little more organized,” Podziemski said. “There’s a lot of chaos out there with Steph, and I don’t think KP’s quite used to that.”
Kristaps Porzingis returned from illness Friday and shot 4-of-12. Al Horford came back from a 14-game absence with a calf strain. The starting lineup Kerr wants to deploy in the play-in has barely played together. Sunday is the last chance to change that.
Kerr must also balance how much he shows the Clippers ahead of Wednesday, given the two teams will likely meet again in the play-in if Portland beats Sacramento on Sunday.
Final Word for the Warriors
The ankle is fine. The knee feels good. Sunday is about finding the rhythm that has been missing since he returned.
Wednesday is what everything is building toward. One game. No margin for error. The Warriors need Curry at his best when it matters most.
Keith Watkins Keith Watkins is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Lakers. He previously wrote for FanSided, NBA Analysis Network, and Last Word On Sports. Keith is based in Bangkok, Thailand. More about Keith Watkins
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