Stephen Curry To Miss Game 1, ‘Very Likely’ For Game 2
The Warriors will not use Stephen Curry in tonight’s opening game against the Pelicans, tweets Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. Coach Steve Kerr told his team about the decision this morning, adds ESPN’s Chris Haynes, but said the star guard feels great and is “very likely” for Game 2 (Twitter link).
Curry is still recovering from a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee that he suffered in a March 23 game. He missed the entire opening-round series against the Spurs, but said Friday he considered himself “50-50” to play tonight.
Kerr said he had discussions with Curry, GM Bob Myers and trainer Chelsea Lane before making the decision, relays Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News (Twitter link), with Kerr adding, “We have to protect him from himself.” (Twitter link).
“He’s very likely to play Tuesday night,” Kerr said. “… When you’ve been out five weeks and you want to play in the playoffs, I don’t think one scrimmage is enough.” (Twitter link).
Kerr hasn’t decided what Curry’s role will be in Game 2, tweets Monte Poole of CSN Bay Area. He may start or come off the bench and he could be playing with a minutes restriction.
Stephen Curry Listed As Questionable For Game 1
Stephen Curry is officially listed as questionable for the start of the Warriors‘ series with the Pelicans tomorrow night, relays Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News.
Myers Admits Warriors Made Mistakes With Looney Option
- Kevon Looney has been a solid player for the Warriors, but this past October, the team elected not to pick up his player option, so he could leave as an unrestricted free agent this summer. Warriors general manager Bob Myers admitted to Marcus Thompson of The Athletic (subscription required) that in hindsight, the team should have gone a different direction. “We didn’t know. We had to go on the information we had, which is not the information we have now,” Myers said. “Maybe in that circumstance, the cap factored in as far as having to be very conscious of every dollar and saying ‘Can we replace this player? Can we afford to pay him at this number?’ When we make any decision, we’re projecting. Sometimes we project correctly. Sometimes we project incorrectly.”
- With the Warriors set for a second-round series against the Pelicans, Ian Clark – who spent two seasons in Golden State – plans to use that experience to help his current team, William Guillory of NOLA.com writes. “It’s going to be fun,” Clark said. “Being in this position to compete against them is going to be fun. Obviously I know a lot of those guys’ tendencies, and I’m trying to help as much as possible to get the win.”
- We noted earlier today that Warriors head coach Steve Kerr listed Stephen Curry as questionable for Game 1 between the Pelicans and Warriors this Saturday. Curry has been out since late March with an MCL sprain.
Kerr: Stephen Curry ‘Questionable’ For Second-Round Opener
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has listed point guard Stephen Curry as questionable for the team’s Western Conference semifinals opener against the Pelicans on Saturday. Kerr spoke to reporters, including Mark Medina of The Mercury News (via Twitter), on Thursday and said Curry looked good in a full-contact practice.
“Steph practiced 100%, he did everything and looked good,” Kerr said. “I would say he’s questionable for Game 1. I think what we have to do is see how his body responds the rest of the day and put him through another practice tomorrow. I think he needs to string together a few good days. It was very positive today.”
Curry, a former two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, has been sidelined with an MCL sprain since March 23. He posted 29 points and grabbed seven rebounds against the Hawks that night before teammate JaVale McGee accidentally fell on his knee. Curry missed the remainder of the regular season and the first round of the playoffs.
In 51 regular season games, Curry averaged 26.4 PPG, 6.1 APG, and 5.1 RPG.
The Warriors have fared well without Curry so far, defeating the Spurs in five games in the first round of the postseason. As they prepares to face the Pelicans though, re-adding Curry to a lineup that boasts Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green would be a major boost.
Quinn Cook Took Long Road To Warriors
- Quinn Cook‘s long odyssey from being undrafted in 2015 to rotation player with the Warriors in this year’s playoffs is chronicled by Sports Illustrated’s Jack Fischer. This season alone was a whirlwind, as Fischer explains, with Cook getting waived by the Hawks before training camp, then signing a two-way contract with Golden State. When Stephen Curry was sidelined by a left knee injury, the Warriors signed Cook to a standard contract. He’s averaging 6.8 PPG in 19.8 MPG against the Spurs in the opening round.
Looney Has Emerged As Key Piece
- Big man Kevon Looney has emerged as a key player for the Warriors and that won’t change throughout the postseason, according to Dieter Kurtenbach of the San Jose Mercury News. The Warriors’ first-round pick in 2015 has battled injuries during his first two seasons. Now healthy, Looney gives the Warriors another quality defender with length who guard all five positions, Kurtenbach adds. Looney could be plying his trade somewhere else next season, as he’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Warriors declined their team option on him last October.
Ettore Messina To Remain Spurs’ Coach For Game 5
Top Spurs assistant Ettore Messina will continue to serve as the club’s interim head coach for Game 5 of its series against the Warriors on Tuesday, the team announced today. It will be Messina’s third game as head coach this series.
Messina is filling in for Gregg Popovich, who is away from the team mourning the death of his wife Erin. The Spurs will give Popovich as much time as needs, so it’s not clear if we’ll see him again on the sidelines this season.
The Spurs currently trail the Warriors 3-1, with Messina having helped lead the team to a victory at home in Game 4. In order to further extend the series, San Antonio will need to pick up a victory in Oakland, which will be no easy task — the Dubs haven’t lost a home playoff game since Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, having won 11 in a row since then.
Messina is on the Hornets’ list of candidates to interview for the head coaching job in Charlotte. If the Spurs had been swept, Messina likely would’ve met with the Hornets within the next few days, but that interview will remain on hold until San Antonio’s season is over.
Stephen Curry Returns To Practice; Round 2 Return Eyed
- The Warriors welcomed Stephen Curry back to practice today, but have no intention to use him in the series with San Antonio, relays Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. “He’s coming along well, but don’t expect him to be Willis Reed tomorrow,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. Curry, who has sat out the past four weeks with a sprained MCL in his left knee, completed several non-contact drills today without any setbacks. Doctors will re-evaluate him next weekend in hopes of a second-round return.
Warriors Injury Notes: Curry, Durant, Livingston
2:18pm: The Warriors have issued an update on Curry after today’s evaluation, announcing that he’s making progress and will begin participating in “modified” team practices on Saturday. Curry will be re-evaluated again in one week, according to the team.
8:52am: Stephen Curry, recovering from a knee injury, is still not close to returning to action, multiple sources tell Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. According to Thompson, Curry will be evaluated again on Friday, but he isn’t believed to be in the final stages of his rehab process.
The Warriors hold a 3-0 lead on the Spurs in their first-round series, so the team isn’t clamoring to get Curry back to face San Antonio. Still, the Dubs would certainly like to have the two-time MVP back to start the second round, and that’s no lock.
As Thompson notes, the Western Conference semifinals could begin as early as April 28 if the Warriors and Pelicans finish off their first-round opponents quickly — both teams are currently up 3-0. Per Thompson, Curry’s MCL injury may need a full six weeks to heal, which would put him on track to return around May 4. Depending on what Golden State’s second-round schedule looks like, that could result in a return for Game 3 of the Western semis.
Meanwhile, a pair of other key Warriors suffered ankle injuries during Thursday’s win in San Antonio, but those injuries – to Kevin Durant and Shaun Livingston – aren’t believed to be serious. Durant told ESPN’s Chris Haynes after Game 3 that his ankle just did a “quick roll” rather than a full turn, and insisted he’s “fine.”
As for Livingston, head coach Steve Kerr acknowledged that injury looks slightly worse than Durant’s, but he didn’t sound overly concerned about the veteran point guard.
“Both sprained ankles,” Kerr said. “But I think they’ll be all right.”
Ettore Messina To Coach Spurs In Game 3
The Spurs have announced that top assistant coach Ettore Messina will coach the club on Thursday night for Game 3 of San Antonio’s first-round series vs. the Warriors, taking Gregg Popovich‘s spot on the bench.
Popovich will be away from the Spurs after his wife Erin passed away on Wednesday. The team will surely give him as much time as he needs to mourn and to be with his family, so it’s not yet clear whether he’ll be back on the sidelines for Game 4 on Sunday.
Messina, long considered a top candidate to become a permanent NBA head coach, has reportedly received interest from the Hornets, who are on the lookout for Steve Clifford‘s replacement. The Spurs granted Charlotte permission to interview Messina, but that meeting figures to take place later, with the veteran Euroleague coach focused on getting San Antonio into the win column against Golden State on Thursday.