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After entering the new year on a five-game winning streak, the Golden State Warriors have crashed back to earth in a big, bad way recently, dropping games to the Pistons and Magic. With the second half of the season suddenly upon us and the playoff race heating up, though, the team looks to be getting an extra hand to aid in the title pursuit.
Namely, four-time NBA champion, eight-time All-Star and franchise cornerstone Stephen Curry.
Ahead of Tuesday’s road bout with the Suns, Curry — who has missed the club’s last 11 games as a result of a shoulder subluxation — was listed as probable to make his hotly anticipated return for the Warriors. This comes after he was a full participant in Monday’s practice.
Curry was downgraded to questionable shortly thereafter, per The San Francisco Chonicle’s CJ Holmes and others, but the bigger story remains in effect — the Splash Bro is finally part of the Dubs’ equation once more.
Warriors president Bob Myers had said last week that Steph could potentially be back in time for the team’s Friday, January 13 tilt against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Warriors Held Up Relatively Well Amid Stephen Curry’s Absence
Steph swishing at practice 🤌
Before his injury, which occurred during a game against the Pacers back on December 14, Steph was performing at an MVP level for Golden State. Through 26 games in 2022-23, the baller is averaging 30.0 points, 6.8 assists and 6.6 rebounds per contest and sinking 50.0% of his shots overall and 43.4% from deep.
Going beyond the counting stats, though, the Warriors are simply on another level when Curry is on the court for them.
So far this season, the Dubs have outpaced the competition by 7.0 points per 100 possessions when Steph has played. When he’s been on the bench, the number has dropped all the way to a dismal minus-7.7/100 poss.
Despite that enormous discrepancy, the team managed to post a 6-5 record while Steph was sidelined. What makes this all the more impressive is all the other players who were in and out of the lineup over that stretch; Andrew Wiggins, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, et al.
So much for the Warriors being finished, as ESPN‘s Kendrick Perkins asserted in the immediate aftermath of Steph’s injury.
Even With Recent Returns, Warriors Are Still Far From 100 Percent
Per NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dalton Johnson, Thompson and Iguodala are both probable participants for the Phoenix game. The former was a surprise scratch from Saturday’s bout with the Magic due to knee soreness. After the game, though, Dubs coach Steve Kerr classified the decision to sit him as “precautionary” in nature.
Iguodala, meanwhile, is still finding his feet after making his long-awaited season debut in the same contest. The 38-year-old hadn’t appeared in a game since Game 6 of the Finals against the Celtics in June.
Alas, former No. 2 pick James Wiseman (sprained left ankle), former No. 7 pick Jonathan Kuminga (right foot sprain) and backup big man JaMychal Green (lower right leg infection) have all been ruled out as participants. So, Dub Nation will have to wait at least a little bit longer to see their full squad together for the first time this season.
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Warriors Drop Massive Update on Stephen Curry’s Hardwood Return