As the Golden State Warriors try to climb up the Western Conference standings, their star player appears to be nearing a return.
Superstar guard Stephen Curry is reportedly eyeing a return to action on Sunday as the Warriors host the Houston Rockets, per Sam Amick of The Athletic.
Curry has been out since suffering a right knee injury on Jan. 30 in a game against the Detroit Pistons.
However, the 38-year-old participated in a full practice on Tuesday and partook in five-on-five scrimmaging, but according to head coach Steve Kerr, it was a light session for Curry and the team.
Should Curry return for Sunday's game against Houston, he would be in line — on paper — to be available for the Warriors' five final regular-season games.
“It’s a good step for him. He won’t play tomorrow,” Kerr said Tuesday. “It’s just a progression from here, so if he’s feeling well, we’ll scrimmage again and we’ll just go from there.”
Kerr said Tuesday's session was all drill work, both offensively and defensively, “half-speed.”
After a 116-93 loss at Denver on Sunday night, the Warriors dropped to 13-23 this season without Curry — including 9-16 during this stretch with him sidelined by patellofemoral pain syndrome.
They've also dealt with a season-ending injury to forward Jimmy Butler, he underwent surgery on a torn ACL in February. They're 13-24 without Butler this season and are 11-20 since his surgery.
Curry's presence provides an immediate lift. He leads the Warriors in scoring with 27.2 points while adding 3.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 39 games this season. He's shooting 46.8 per cent from the field and 39.1 per cent from deep.
As of Tuesday, the Warriors sit 10th in the West at 36-39 but are in no danger of dropping out of the play-in picture, as the 11th-place Memphis Grizzlies are mathematically eliminated at 25-50.
However, Golden State is only three games behind the Los Angeles Clippers for the eight seed and a more favourable spot in the Play-In Tournament.
-- With files from the Associated Press
