The wait to see Stephen Curry back in action may not last past the weekend.
It’s been an injury-riddled season for the Warriors’ franchise lynchpin. He missed 11-straight games with a left shoulder subluxation. A month after returning to action, he was dealt a left leg injury — partial tears and a contusion in his knee.
But his return is imminent, with this Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers very much in play.
Curry scrimmaged Thursday morning with the team. After the team’s 108-99 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, head coach Steve Kerr confirmed that Curry could play Sunday, in LA.
“I think there’s a chance he’ll play,” Kerr said. “We’re not going to make any decisions until he gets through tomorrow.”
Kerr said that he’ll talk to the training staff on Saturday and “go from there.”
The team’s five-game win streak in his stead has offered a massive boost to their hopes of potentially avoiding a play-in situation with just 17 games remaining.
At 34-31, the Warriors currently hold the 5th seed in the Western Conference, just a game behind the Phoenix Suns.
Golden State will need Curry, though. Up next is a rough three-game road stretch against the Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies, followed by a two-game home slate against the Milwaukee Bucks and Suns, then a five-game stint on the road.
With 18 games left and 11 of them on the road, the Warriors will need to perform better than their abysmal, 7-23 road record. Curry’s return at least makes that prospect feasible.