SAN FRANCISCO, CA– While Stephen Curry has missed the Golden State Warriors' last five games due to a left quad contusion, Steve Kerr provided some positive news on the star guard's status for Friday night's matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“Steph did everything in practice. We scrimmaged; he took part in the whole thing,” Kerr told reporters Wednesday evening after the Dubs' first practice since the three-game road trip.
When asked about his availability for the T-Wolves game, Kerr described Curry's status as “day-to-day” but was optimistic about his chances of returning to the lineup.
Curry's full participation in practice was an encouraging next step in getting the guard on the court, after a series of encouraging developments.
Previously, Curry did not travel with the team on their three-game road trip as the Warriors decided it would be better for the 37-year-old to rehab in the comfort of the Bay. And because Curry suffered the quad contusion on November 26th, against the Houston Rockets, by the time the Timberwolves game rolls around, he will have had 16 days of rest and recovery, should the Dubs' medical staff give him the green light.
The Warriors went 3-2 in the five games with Curry sidelined, the two losses being a respectable 124-112 affair against the one-loss Oklahoma City Thunder juggernaut and a narrow loss at the buzzer to the Philadelphia 76ers. In Curry's absence, Kerr turned to Pat Spencer, whose efforts on the road gave the Dubs the spark they needed to take down the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls on back-to-back nights.
Warriors injury updates on Draymond Green and Al Horford
As for the Warriors' other injury concerns, defensive anchor Draymond Green, who is nursing a nagging right midfoot sprain, had a personal excuse and did not practice Wednesday evening.
The Dub's other veteran big man, Al Horford, was a limited participant in the Warriors' practice and did not participate in their intense scrimmage. Kerr ruled Horford out for Friday's clash with Minnesota as the stretch-five manages his sciatic nerve injury.
“He needs to stack together a few days before we put him out there,” Kerr said. “We'll see how he comes off of today's work.
Horford's sciatica had sidelined him for four games before he returned against the 76ers last Friday. But the injury flared up once again and forced him to miss the Cavs-Bulls back-to-back. It's a similar injury to the one that sidelined LeBron James earlier in the season and continues to plague the Los Angeles Lakers star.
In Horford's absence, Kerr has turned to Quinten Post, whose shooting and defensive efforts were key to the Warriors' success on the road. With Horford's status murky at best right now, the Warriors will certainly turn to Post to continue his strong play as of late, as well as look to Trayce Jackson-Davis moving forward.
But aside from Horford's status, Golden State looks on track to be as close to full-strength as possible since opening night.
