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Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are hopeful star point guard Stephen Curry can make his globally-anticipated return from injury next week.
The 38-year-old Warriors star has been out since Jan. 30 with a runner’s knee.
As recently as last weekend, Golden State was hopeful Curry would get cleared to engage in a live five-on-five practice with the team in Atlanta ahead of its game against the Hawks.
Unfortunately, Curry did not receive the green light from the medical staff, and the momentum on his return soon stalled out.
However, the franchise re-evaluated Curry on Friday and revealed he still needs to make more progress before he can play again. The team announced it will look at Curry’s injury again next week. That could mean as early as Monday or as late as Sunday.
For now, the Warriors are left trying to make ends meet without their superstar, but there remains hope his return will come before the regular season ends.
Golden State Warriors star’s hopeful injury return target revealed
Of course, Curry will miss the team’s game against the Denver Nuggets tomorrow night. Sunday’s tilt will mark 25 consecutive absences. The Warriors have won just eight games over that time.
While things have been going downhill from a winning an injury perspective, especially in the fashion rising star guard Moses Moody went down Monday in Dallas, it sure feels like the Warriors aren’t playing for much.
That is still far from the case, however.
Golden State is locked into the play-in tournament. While that gives a semblance of optimism, what is more pressing is hoping Curry returns at least a few games before the qualifying games to establish some runway.
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The former MVP has been out nearly two months. He will inevitably be rusty for a couple of games.
With how things are shaping out, there is a real possibility Curry does return before the end of this coming week. The Warriors will play three games over these seven days, the final one against the Houston Rockets on Sunday.
According to team insider Danny Emerman, the Houston game feels like a strong target for Curry’s return.
“If Curry gets a couple of live practices in over the next week, it’s possible he could return by the Rockets game on Sunday, April 5 at Chase Center,” Emerman wrote for The San Francisco Standard. “That could give him three or four games leading into the play-in tournament.”
Warriors still not looking to rush Curry back
And why should they?
Curry isn’t a young buck. It would take some serious lifting for the team to catch the Los Angeles Clippers for the eighth seed.
Getting that seed would give the Warriors another play-in game should they lose the first one, but it is growing increasingly unlikely they are able to surge up the standings over these final eight games.
Head coach Steve Kerr made it clear the Warriors want to get Curry back on the court before the play-in — if the 12-time All-Star is fully healthy.
But the team also understands the importance of giving Curry some time to find his footing before the play-in game.
The Warriors have a challenging game to balance on their hands and cannot afford to make any mistakes in judgement. Curry’s health is crucial in general. His remaining years are still impactful for his legacy.
Now is not the time to risk anything just for him to play a few more regular season games.
Adel Ahmad Adel is a writer with over five years of experience covering the NBA. His work has appeared on various media platforms, both national and local. More about Adel Ahmad
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