Steve Kerr: “Things are looking good” for Curry to return for Game 1

If you’re looking for a positive sign out of Stephen Curry‘s scrimmage Thursday, it was the two-handed dunk he threw down in front of reporters.

Or, you can just listen to the words of his coach Steve Kerr, who made it sound like Curry would return from his sprained foot and play in Game 1 of the playoffs Saturday against the Nuggets. Via NBC Sports Bay Area:

After today's scrimmage, Kerr says Steph’s “conditioning looks good” pic.twitter.com/Pvf6uPMokl

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 14, 2022

“He’s optimistic that he’ll play Saturday, but we’ll have to re-evaluate tomorrow to see how his foot responds overnight. Right now, things are looking good. His conditioning is good. Good for him to get out there and play, because of the speed of the game. He’s got to feel all that stuff and get some rust off.  Good day overall.” 

“Steph looked like himself. He just gives everybody a lift, just his presence on the court,” Klay Thompson said, via the Associated Press.

Curry was out for the Warriors’ final dozen games due to a sprained foot and how he responded to Thursday’s scrimmage was going to decide if he could go in Game 1. The results look promising for the Warriors — and are bad news for the Nuggets.

Curry averaged 25.5 points and 6.3 assists a game this season while shooting 38% from 3, and the Warriors’ offense is 5.8 points per 100 possessions better when he is on the court. More than just his shooting, his ability to pull multiple defenders to him, combined with Draymond Green‘s secondary playmaking, opens up the Warriors’ offense. Curry being back on the court will stretch the Nuggets’ defense even thinner.