Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry is said to be progressing well in his rehab after being re-evaluated on Wednesday.
Curry has missed the last three games with a strained left hamstring. He has now been cleared to participate in light on-court workouts, including shooting drills. His next re-evaluation will be Saturday, ahead of a possible Game 6 on Sunday.
The Warriors face the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 on Wednesday, looking to keep alive their season and the hope of Curry returning.
They trail the best-of-seven series 3-1.
“We just gotta win a game. Win one game, take it from there,” Draymond Green said. “Do all that we can to figure out a way to win one. You win one, everything changes. So, that’ll be our mindset going into Game 5.”
Minnesota, meanwhile, will be looking to return to the Western Conference Finals for the second consecutive year.
Series Marred By Curry Injury
In what has been a theme of this second round, the Curry injury has completely changed the outlook of this series.
The Warriors won Game 1, despite Curry only playing the first quarter, but they haven’t been able to muster enough to add to that tally. They battled bravely in Game 3 but could do nothing in the face of an Anthony Edwards takeover.
There have been no answers for Julius Randle either and Golden State’s offense has had too many stretches where it’s completely cratered. That aspect of this Warriors team would of course be fundamentally different with a healthy Curry.
It will be all hands on deck for Game 5, which starts with Jimmy Butler. Happily embracing the “Robin” role in the presence of Curry, he will need to be in peak Playoff Jimmy form for Golden State to stand a chance in Minnesota.
Green will also have to be much better than he’s been in the absence of Curry. He fouled out of the Game 3 loss and will be looked upon the most to try and solve the Randle riddle.
Jonathan Kuminga has emerged into the rotation and popped off with big performances. The Warriors will need that to continue, along with Buddy Hield’s sharp shooting from the outside.
The X Factor will likely be whether Brandon Podziemski can snap out of his funk. He is shooting a miserable 22.5 percent from the field, including 17.6 percent from three.