Although the Golden State Warriors were finally able to dispatch of the Los Angeles on Friday night, they paid a steep price. First, Stephen Curry suffered an ankle sprain early in the contest. And then, later that night, Klay Thompson also went down with an ankle injury.

Both players were initially questionable to play in Game 1 of the Warriors' Western Conference semifinal against the Houston Rockets this afternoon, but Antony Slater of The Athletic is reporting that Curry will in fact play in the series opener:

Curry has had a bad history with ankle injuries. In fact, they almost derailed his career earlier in this decade. He played just 26 games during a lockout-shortened 2011-12 season and then experienced more ankle issues the next season.

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Since then, Curry has been mostly healthy, winning multiple MVP awards and three championships with Golden State. And his presence in the rotation for Game 1 is absolutely crucial, particularly if Thompson is unable to suit up.

Houston might be the Warriors' toughest test in the West (and maybe their hardest challenge in the playoffs period), and the Dubs can ill afford to drop Game 1 on their home floor to a team that will be hungry to knock them off after blowing a 3-2 lead in last year's Western Conference Finals.

With Curry on the floor, there should also be less pressure on Kevin Durant, who has been a man on a mission since Game 3 against the Clippers. Durant poses a matchup nightmare for Houston, but having Curry out there will force Chris Paul to say home instead of helping off-ball, which opens the floor up for Durant to attack.