The Golden State Warriors got the news they have been waiting for. Stephen Curry is back on the court.
Curry received medical clearance to participate in a five-on-five scrimmage on Tuesday, the biggest step forward in his recovery from the right knee injury that has kept him sidelined since January 30. Twenty-six consecutive games missed. A play-in tournament looming. And for the first time in weeks, genuine reason for optimism inside the Warriors facility.
Gui Santos was there to see it. His reaction said everything.
What Santos Said About the Warriors’ Curry
GettyStephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors.
Santos did not hide his excitement when asked about watching Curry back on the floor with his teammates.
“It’s amazing man,” Santos said. “Just to have him out there with us, you know? It’s always great. We have a lot more confidence when we have a guy like Steph on the court. That’s no doubt about it. He looked good out there.”
Santos added a note of caution alongside the enthusiasm, acknowledging that the real test was still to come.
“We were not moving too much, so we can’t tell a lot,” Santos said. “So let’s see how he’s gonna feel after that.”
It is the right read. One scrimmage does not erase months of uncertainty. But the mood inside the building shifted on Tuesday. Steve Kerr noted that the gym was “bouncier” with Curry’s presence and that everyone’s spirits were lifted. That kind of energy matters for a team that has been grinding through one of the more difficult stretches in recent memory.
“It’s amazing man. Just to have him out there with us, you know? It’s always great. We have a lot more confidence when we have a guy like Steph on the court. That’s no doubt about it. He looked good out there. We were not
What Curry Said After the Scrimmage
Curry himself was measured but encouraged after completing the session.
“It felt great,” Curry said. “I’m checking the boxes. But with this, it’s always unpredictable because I don’t know how the knee will respond because it hasn’t responded well in the past attempts to get to this five-on-five level.”
He pointed to the weekend as the next marker.
“I’m right where I need to be for right now,” Curry said, “and I’m hoping that it continues until the weekend.”
The path to that point was not straightforward. Curry first felt pain and swelling after a workout on January 24, played through it briefly, then left the Warriors’ home loss to the Detroit Pistons on January 30 in the third quarter and has not returned since. Early optimism about a return after the All-Star break faded when his knee did not respond well to on-court work during that weekend. Rick Celebrini, the Warriors’ lead medical decision maker, held Curry back from contact work for weeks before finally clearing him on Tuesday morning.
What Comes Next
Curry will miss Wednesday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs and Thursday’s back-to-back against the Cleveland Cavaliers. His earliest possible return is Sunday night at home against the Houston Rockets, contingent on how his knee responds to the increased workload in the coming days.
Kerr kept it simple when asked about the timeline.
“Gotta see how he responds to the scrimmage and we’ll take it from there,” Kerr said.
Golden State is 36-39 and sitting 10th in the Western Conference. The internal goal has always been to get Curry back with enough runway of regular season games to prepare his body for the intensity of the play-in. Sunday would give him potentially four games before that moment arrives. It is not much. It is considerably more than nothing.
Final Word for the Warriors
Santos said the confidence goes up when Curry is on the court. The Warriors have known that all season.
Tuesday was one scrimmage. The knee still needs to respond. But for a team that has been waiting on good news for weeks, this was the best kind of update possible.
The weekend cannot come soon enough.
Warriors Get Notable Steph Curry Update Ahead of Play-In