Stephen Curry (right ankle) will play in Warriors-Rockets Game 4
After missing the last two games with an ankle injury, reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry will return to the Golden State Warriors for Sunday’s Game 4 against the Houston Rockets.
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The Warriors announced the superstar point guard’s return about 40 minutes before Sunday afternoon’s tipoff:
The man himself announced it in his own fashion, too:
Curry injured his right ankle late in the second quarter of the Warriors’ 104-78 blowout of the Rockets in Game 1, appearing to hurt himself on a shot attempt near the Warriors bench before looking to be in more serious discomfort after a steal shortly thereafter. He attempted to return, but with the Warriors comfortably in command, he sat for the bulk of the second half, finishing with 24 points on 8-for-13 shooting, including a 5-for-7 mark from 3-point range, with seven rebounds, three steals and two assists in just under 20 minutes of playing time.
With Curry ruled out for Game 2, the Warriors still knocked off Houston behind 34 points from Klay Thompson and a near triple-double from Draymond Green. Despite an MRI on the right ankle not revealing “anything of concern,” Curry was once again ruled out for Game 3; this time, the Rockets took advantage, getting on the board with a 97-96 victory thanks to a game-winning jumper by James Harden.
After the Warriors’ off-day practice on Saturday, head coach Steve Kerr said Curry had progressed to the point where he expected he’d be able to in Sunday’s Game 4, according to ESPN:
“I would expect Steph to play,” Kerr said. “He scrimmaged today; we went full-court 5-on-5. He didn’t have any pain this morning or after the workouts. So we’re expecting him to play, but we’ll see how he is [Sunday] morning.” […]
“It’s not pain. It’s like soreness that comes along with all that my ankle’s been through,” Curry said Saturday. “It’s kind of to be expected and I see it as, this is kind of my playoff thing. Everybody has something they’re dealing with in some way shape or form.
“It’s stable … no swelling or anything, so I can do everything I need to do.”
Curry’s return will bump Shaun Livingston back to the bench. He acquitted himself well as the Warriors’ starting lineup in Games 2 and 3, averaging 16 points on 59.1 percent shooting, 4.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals in 29.4 minutes per game. Even with numbers that impressive, though, I think you might consider adding the league’s leading scorer and frontrunner to win a second consecutive MVP to be a pretty substantial upgrade — and a significant impediment to Houston’s hopes of knotting the series up at two games apiece.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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