Kerr: Curry progressing but 'doubtful' for Game 4
PORTLAND, Ore. — Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr on Sunday characterized the status of point guard Stephen Curry as doubtful for Game 4 versus the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night.
“I would just say he’s doubtful for tomorrow but slowly and surely making progress,” Kerr said.
Curry hasn’t suited up for action since he sprained his right MCL when he slipped on a damp spot of the floor in a win over the Houston Rockets in Game 4 in the first round. Although Curry said earlier last week that he hoped he could play in Game 3 of this series, the Warriors have exercised caution with him and eased him into on-court drills.
Prior to Saturday’s game, Curry participated in a light session of two-on-two with a trio of Warriors assistant coaches on the court at Moda Center in Portland. During Sunday’s practice, he took part in some 3-on-3 action, in which he was guarded by Warriors reserve wing Ian Clark, as well as a variety of skills exercises.
“He looked about like he looked yesterday, in terms of movement,” Kerr said. “Conditioning is going to be an issue, but hopefully he can get more and more work in, and we’ll see how comes up tomorrow, in terms of a night of sleep coming off the workout.”
Kerr said Curry hasn’t been aggressively lobbying to get back on the floor after Golden State’s 120-108 loss to Portland on Saturday in Game 3, the Warriors’ first postseason loss since Curry has been sidelined. The Warriors lead the series 2-1. The team has emphasized that the decision to activate Curry will be informed entirely by his medical condition — not by the competitiveness of the series.
“The trainers would have to tell me he’s good to go,” Kerr said. “Steph would have to say he’s good to go. And then we would have to figure out a plan from there.
“You trust the medical staff in terms of, ‘Is there potential for more damage’? Then you trust the player with how he’s feeling. Steph has been, even when he’s lobbied like in the Houston series when he hurt his ankle, he would lobby and then admit, ‘No, it’s probably not right.’ I know I’d get a truthful answer from Steph. He’s not going to try to be a hero, and we’ll make the reasonable decision based on all the information.”
Curry will go through the team’s shootaround Monday morning, after which his status will be reevaluated.
