Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is listed as questionable for Monday’s road matchup with the Washington Wizards due to the left peroneal strain that has kept him sidelined since suffering the injury in the fourth quarter of the team’s loss to the LA Clippers on Oct. 27. Golden State has won all three games during his absence — two against the New Orleans Pelicans at home before Saturday’s road victory over the Houston Rockets.
The team issued a statement on Friday saying that Curry is making good progress in his recovery and had been cleared to participate in portions of practice. Curry was upgraded to questionable on the team’s Sunday injury report.
The “questionable” designation for Monday’s game, along with video of him going through his pregame routine before Saturday’s win in Houston, indicates a return may be on the horizon.
Curry first appeared to tweak his left ankle toward the end of the third quarter of the game against the Clippers, but returned after receiving treatment from the training staff on the bench. He then aggravated the same ankle just moments after returning in the fourth quarter and immediately limped to the locker room before being ruled out for the rest of the game.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said he spoke with Curry after the game, and that the All-Star guard described his injury as moderate.
“He’s obviously sprained the ankle many times before, so he doesn’t think it’s too bad.” Kerr said. “But obviously, you know, it’s a concern.”
Curry had career-threatening ankle problems early in his NBA tenure, but has been able to avoid major issues in the latter portion of his Hall of Fame career. He entered the game against the Clippers having only averaged 26 minutes over the Warriors’ first two games of the season — historic blowouts over the Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz — while putting up 18.5 points and seven assists per contest. He had 18 points, six assists and four rebounds in 27 minutes against the Clippers before exiting the game.
Golden State’s depth has been on display in the three wins since Curry’s injury, with Brandin Podziemski and Draymond Green taking over the bulk of playmaking duties (De’Anthony Melton has also missed all three games, and Andrew Wiggins was out for the first two). Buddy Hield, who has been a revelation in a Warriors uniform, has led the team with over 25 points per game in the three wins, while Jonathan Kuminga has averaged 19 points on 51% shooting.
The Warriors are 5-1 entering Monday’s game in Washington, leading the NBA with a plus-17.6 net rating — impressive considering Curry’s absence. The road trip will get more difficult after that, however, as their following three games are against the Celtics, Cavaliers and Thunder — who have a combined record of 19-1.
