The Golden State Warriors will be seeking a third straight win when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night. The Warriors won consecutive games over the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers despite the fact that they didn’t have the services of star guard Steph Curry for either contest.

In all, Curry has missed Golden State’s last five games with a quad injury that he suffered in a game against the Houston Rockets on Nov. 26. The Warriors went 3-2 in the games missed by Curry, and they currently sit eighth in the Western Conference standings with a record of 13-12.

Steph Curry expected to play vs. Timberwolves 

The rest of the roster deserves some major credit for keeping the ship on course during Curry’s absence. But, help is on the way. Curry isn’t listed on the official injury report for the matchup with Minnesota, and the star guard is expected to play in the contest.

“It’s looking good,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Curry’s return earlier this week. 

With Curry back in the fold, the Warriors will look to build off of the momentum that they were able to establish during his time on the sideline. They sit just a game behind the Phoenix Suns in the standings and just 2.5 games behind Minnesota, so they’ll have an opportunity to make up some ground on Friday night. 

It’s possible that Curry could be on a bit of a minutes restriction for his first game(s) back. There’s also a chance that there will be a bit of rust after a couple weeks on the sideline. But, neither would be a major cause for concern.

The two-time MVP is in having another extremely productive season for Golden State. He’s averaging 27.9 points, 4.0 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals per performance while shooting 47 percent from the floor and 39 percent from long range. Those stats aren’t too shabby for a guy who will turn 38 before the season is over. 

But, while Curry will be back in action, the Warriors will be missing another key veteran against Minnesota. Draymond Green has been ruled out of the game for personal reasons. It will be the third consecutive game missed by Green, who has also been dealing with a foot injury.Â