Stephen Curry hasn’t played for the Warriors since January 30, and won’t be back for at least 10 more days.

In the absence of him and Jimmy Butler, the Warriors’ hopes for the season have begun to flatline, punctuated by back-to-back losses to the Jazz and Bulls, Monte Poole writes for NBC Sports Bay Area.

The goal now, in the face of these injuries, is to seize the eighth seed in the West, allowing them a better chance at getting through the play-in. Poole says that the goal is more modest than what the team imagined for itself coming into the season, but it reflects the current state of the team.

Beyond playoff seeding, there’s another reason it would be beneficial to get Curry back in the lineup sooner rather than later: getting him some pre-postseason chemistry with Kristaps Porzingis, who is looking forward to taking the floor with the two-time MVP for the first time.

“Of course, of course, I want to play with Steph, you know?” he said on Monday. “… Honestly, I don’t have no idea what they’re (going to say about Curry’s status), but I know he’s doing everything he can to be back with us as soon as possible. And obviously, it’s a completely different team with him here. So hopefully I’ll get that chance soon.”

We have more from around the Pacific Division:

The Lakers are cruising right now, and in Tuesday’s win over the Timberwolves, they used their season-long weakness — namely, defense — to add another win to their current hot streak, Thuc Nhi Nguyen writes for the LA Times. Los Angeles has won six of their last seven games and, coming into Wednesday, had passed the Wolves for the fourth seed in the West. The team seems to have bought in of late, including hot-and-cold big man Deandre Ayton, says The Athletic’s Dan Woike. Coach JJ Redick was glad to see his center put together such a positive game. “It’s great for his teammates to see him have a really good performance on both ends of the floor,” Redick said. “I think it’s bigger for DA to have a game like that against a really good team, one of the best teams in basketball.”
After one of the worst starts of the season of any team with winning ambitions, the Clippers have turned things around and have clawed their way back to a .500 record heading into their Wednesday night matchup against the Timberwolves. While the record might not be head-turning, it means a lot to the team, writes Law Murray for The Athletic. “This team, ever since I’ve been here for six years, our guys always continue to keep fighting when our backs’ against the wall,” head coach Ty Lue said. “And I credit all my coaching staff, just for doing a great job, like I said earlier. Just staying with it, being positive, continue to help these guys get better. And you know, to start 6-21 and be .500 right now, it’s a big thing for us.” Kawhi Leonard has been the driving force behind the team’s success, but he knows none of it matters unless they’re ready for the playoffs.
Another big part of the Clippers‘ success has been the play of 31-year-old guard Kris Dunn. While Dunn has never been much of a scorer, he has become an All-Defense level guard over his time in Los Angeles, his teammates and coach argue. “It’s a no-brainer that he’s definitely a First-Team All-Defensive guy,” Lue said, per Mark Medina of Sportsnaut. “He’s a lockdown defender. Usually in the case when you have great defenders like that, they are good on-ball defenders. But they’re not really good off the ball or they’re not really good in team defense. But he’s all of it.” Dunn discussed his desire for that recognition, his back-and-forths with Luka Doncic, and more in the wide-ranging interview.