Steph Curry expects to take another step in Warriors’ finale vs. Clippers

SACRAMENTO — Steph Curry plans to rev up further in the Warriors’ regular-season finale.

After coming off the bench twice, Curry returned to the starting lineup Friday in Golden State’s loss to the Kings. 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 32-34 minute workload.

By the time 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.

“I’ll be comfortable with it,” Curry said, insinuating that the medical staff may have a different opinion. “I find it hard to believe if the game calls for a couple extra minutes – we’re gonna make the right decision.”

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

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 124-118 defeat to one of the league’s bottom dwellers.

Curry’s 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 halfcourt and collided with Kings guard Devin Carter.

“I was worried it was his knee,” the Warriors coach said. “I just saw him limping. He came over and he said, ‘No, I’m fine. It’s just the ankle.’ I don’t know if he just tweaked it or something, but he’s fine.”

Curry only returned this past Sunday from a 27-game absence with runner’s 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.

“I’ll be all right,” Curry said. “As long as it’s not my knee. I can deal with ankles. I’ve been dealing with that forever. That was the interesting part: My knee felt pretty good, even better than last game.” 

Friday’s 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.

Curry exploded for 29 points in his first game back but was limited to 17 on Tuesday in an effort Kerr described as “a little rusty.” The same could be said of any of the three players returning from time off. It doesn’t help that Kerr started his 42nd different combination in 81 games.

“We’ve just got to get a little more organized,” said Brandin Podziemski, who started alongside Curry, Porzingis, Draymond Green and Gus Santos and scored a career-best 30 points. “There’s a lot of chaos out there with Steph and I don’t think KP’s quite used to that.”

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

Porzingis, who missed the past two games with an illness, was held to 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting. Horford wasn’t able to grab one rebound while scoring 10 points in 17 minutes; he had missed the previous 14 games after straining his calf.

“It’s weird because you have a lineup where you expect nine or 10 guys are going to play, but you haven’t really had reps,” Curry said. “I don’t know how else to quantify it other than we have one game to find some good patterns, some good chemistry.”

With the play-in picture gaining some clarity, the Warriors’ 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.

After the Clippers’ loss to the Blazers on Friday, they will host Golden State in Wednesday’s No. 9-10 play-in game if Portland is able to beat the Kings in its season finale Sunday.

Kerr said he planned to watch a replay of the Clippers-Blazers game on the Warriors’ flight to Los Angeles. Ahead of their final regular season game, Kerr reiterated that he still has “lots of hope” about his team’s chances in the playoffs, “but I also know we’re not where we need to be.”

Leave it to Curry to sum up what the Warriors need between now and Wednesday.

“Forty eight great minutes,” he said. “That’s all we have in front of us.”

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