{"id":708413,"date":"2026-04-11T20:09:56","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T20:09:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/708413\/"},"modified":"2026-04-11T20:09:56","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T20:09:56","slug":"steph-curry-expects-to-take-another-step-in-warriors-finale-vs-clippers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/708413\/","title":{"rendered":"Steph Curry expects to take another step in Warriors\u2019 finale vs. Clippers"},"content":{"rendered":"

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SACRAMENTO \u2014 Steph Curry plans to rev up further<\/a> in the Warriors\u2019 regular-season finale.<\/p>\n

After coming off the bench twice, Curry returned to the starting lineup Friday in Golden State\u2019s 124-118 loss to the Kings<\/a>. The next step as he makes his way back from more than two months away will come Sunday against the Clippers as he resumes his normal 32- to 34-minute workload.<\/p>\n

When the teams most likely meet again Wednesday in the play-in tournament, Curry said he hopes to be able to push beyond that if the situation calls for it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be comfortable with it,\u201d Curry said, insinuating that the medical staff may have a different opinion. \u201cI find it hard to believe if the game calls for a couple extra minutes \u2014 we\u2019re gonna make the right decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Golden<\/p>\n

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) smiles at the crowd during a game against the Sacramento Kings in the fourth quarter at Chase Center. David Gonzales-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Curry expressed optimism, despite sitting in front of his locker with his right ankle in an ice bath after being held in check for 11 points in 27 minutes in the loss to one of the league\u2019s bottom dwellers.<\/p>\n

Curry\u2019s ankles, for all their trouble early in his career, are not the body part of immediate concern, so Steve Kerr was relieved to learn a rolled ankle was the worst of it when Curry had the ball stolen from him at half court and collided with Kings guard Devin Carter.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was worried it was his knee,\u201d the Warriors coach said. \u201cI just saw him limping. He came over and he said, \u2018No, I\u2019m fine. It\u2019s just the ankle.\u2019 I don\u2019t know if he just tweaked it or something, but he\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Curry only returned<\/a> this past Sunday from a 27-game absence with runner\u2019s knee in his right leg. He confirmed afterward that it was his right ankle that caused him to fall into a heap after having his pocket picked early in the first quarter.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be all right,\u201d Curry said. \u201cAs long as it\u2019s not my knee. I can deal with ankles. I\u2019ve been dealing with that forever. That was the interesting part: My knee felt pretty good, even better than last game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Friday\u2019s game was the first test run for the lineup the Warriors hope to use to escape the play-in from the No. 10 seed, featuring Curry with Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis for the first time.<\/p>\n

Curry exploded for 29 points in his first game back but was limited to 17 on Tuesday in an effort Kerr described as \u201ca little rusty.\u201d The same could be said of any of the three players returning from time off. It doesn\u2019t help that Kerr started his 42nd different combination in 81 games.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve just got to get a little more organized,\u201d said Brandin Podziemski, who started alongside Curry, Porzingis, Draymond Green and Gus Santos and scored a career-best 30 points. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of chaos out there with Steph, and I don\u2019t think KP\u2019s quite used to that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Golden<\/p>\n

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) dribbles against the Sacramento Kings in the third quarter at Chase Center. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

Porzingis, who missed the past two games with an illness, was held to 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting. Horford wasn\u2019t able to grab one rebound while scoring 10 points in 17 minutes; he had missed the previous 14 games after straining his calf.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s weird because you have a lineup where you expect nine or 10 guys are going to play, but you haven\u2019t really had reps,\u201d Curry said. \u201cI don\u2019t know how else to quantify it other than we have one game to find some good patterns, some good chemistry.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the play-in picture gaining some clarity, the Warriors\u2019 final tuneup comes with an added wrinkle. Kerr must balance seeing what he needs without giving away too much to the team they will likely face again three days later in a do-or-die postseason game.<\/p>\n

After the Clippers\u2019 loss to the Blazers on Friday, they will host Golden State in Wednesday\u2019s No. 9-10 play-in game if Portland beats the Kings in its season finale Sunday.<\/p>\n

Kerr said he planned to watch a replay of the Clippers-Blazers game on the Warriors\u2019 flight to Los Angeles. Ahead of their final regular-season game, Kerr reiterated that he still has \u201clots of hope\u201d about his team\u2019s chances in the playoffs, \u201cbut I also know we\u2019re not where we need to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leave it to Curry to sum up what the Warriors need between now and Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cForty-eight great minutes,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s all we have in front of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

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