SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors won’t have Steph Curry for the remaining five games of the regular season.
Curry, who sprained a ligament in his foot in a collision with Boston’s Marcus Smart on March 16, will be re-assessed after the regular season concludes on April 10, the team said Friday in a statement.
Curry could still be cleared to start as early as Game 1 of the first round, which begins on April 16. The 34-year-old is “progressing” in his rehab and could start individual on-court workouts next week.
“We’ve known that was going to be the case,” coach Steve Kerr said. “We were hoping maybe he could play one, two games at the end of the regular season but that was a long shot. This is how it’s turned out. His rehab is going fine.”
Not yet cleared for on-court work, Curry has been doing workouts in the weight room and in the pool with Warriors director of sports medicine and performance Rick Celebrini. Curry will soon start the next phase of his rehab, on-court work without his walking boot.
“He’ll be on the court with the ball in his hands, ball-handling, shooting and more movement,” Kerr said. “I imagine what that means is that he’ll progress each day more and more, cutting and that sort of thing, but that’s really up to Rick and the staff.”
Curry has had his fair share of injuries coinciding with the playoffs, including knee sprains that kept him out for parts of the 2016 playoffs and 2018 playoffs. But Curry has returned in rhythm each time.
“I’m not too worried about him,” Kerr said. “All it takes is one shot and he’s back in rhythm.”
The Warriors are 1-6 this year in the seven games Curry has missed with his foot sprain. Though they will face just one team with a record above .500, a pair of back-to-backs and the playoff seeding implications make these five games crucial.
Golden State will face the Utah Jazz on Saturday, a game that could impact their seeding in the Western Conference. They currently sit in the No. 4 position, just behind the surging Dallas Mavericks. Utah is tied with Denver for the No. 5 seed, just two games behind the Warriors. With the race so close, Warriors players aren’t monitoring the seeding much — though they are aware it’s a tight race.
Following Saturday’s game, they travel Sunday to Sacramento to play the Kings, then return for their regular-season home finale next Thursday night against the Lakers, who are clinging to the West’s final play-in spot.
They finish the season next weekend with another back-to-back on the road against the New Orleans Pelicans and San Antonio Spurs. Those back-to-backs could prove tricky with Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala most likely sitting one of the two games due to injury management, Kerr said.
A loss to the Phoenix Suns showed signs of defensive improvement and cohesion that the Warriors hope could flip the script without Curry.
“We are just trying to find out how we can get some wins,” Kevon Looney said. “Everyone is trying to get their legs back under them, trying to get a rhythm. We have the confidence if we’re healthy that we can play against anyone. We aren’t worried about a matchup. Just about getting back to playing our style of ball.”
Jordan Poole’s emergence as the Warriors’ most consistent scorer in Curry’s absence could buoy them. Poole has scored at least 20 points in 15 straight games, including a 38-point performance against the Suns.
“Overall, this whole year, Jordan has grown as a leader and a person,” Looney said. “He’s connecting with teammates better, he’s getting people comfortable. He’s becoming a true point guard, getting guys going.”
