After missing 11 games with a sprained right ankle, Stephen Curry will be back on the court for the Warriors tonight in Memphis, according to Marc J. Spears on ESPN Now. Coach Steve Kerr plans to limit him to 20-25 minutes and use him in “six or seven minute bursts.”
Golden State managed a 9-2 record without Curry, who suffered the injury December 4 in New Orleans.
Curry underwent a third and final re-evaluation on the ankle Friday and received medical clearance from team doctors, relays Chris Haynes of ESPN. He participated in a three-on-three scrimmage Thursday, followed by a practice focusing on five-man drills with no defenders.
“Oh yeah, he’s excited. He’s fired up,” Kerr said. “The process was just going along with the medical staff’s recommendation and just the daily progress that he was making, combined with the schedule the way it works out tomorrow should be a good game for him to play. I wouldn’t want him to play on a back-to-back with his ankle healing. It appears he is good to go and then we don’t play again for a while. Should be a good time for him to go for it.”
The two-time MVP was averaging 26.3 points through 23 games before the injury. Curry signed a $201MM super max deal over the summer, so the Warriors wanted to protect their investment and make sure he was fully recovered.