Stephen Curry is set to play in the Golden State Warriors’ season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers, after Steve Kerr played down the ankle sprain that sent the star limping off at open practice. The Warriors visit Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday night (US time), which is 1pm on Thursday, 22 October in Sydney.
Curry rolled his right ankle on a move against De’Anthony Melton during a light scrimmage at Chase Center on Sunday (US time), then limped to the locker room, NBC Sports Bay Area reported. He was a full participant at practice on Monday.
ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported the Warriors expect Curry to be available for the opener after the ankle responded well overnight and the medical staff cleared him to continue his ramp-up to the regular season.
“I’m always concerned when Steph limps off,” Kerr said on Monday, as quoted by NBC Sports Bay Area. “But I went down and checked on him and he told me immediately he was fine.”
Managing Curry’s load
Curry averaged 13 points a game in the preseason in a little under 18 minutes a night and shot 41.9 per cent from three-point range, according to NBC Sports Bay Area.
Read more: Lakers Lose to Warriors as Walker Kessler Debuts, Luka Doncic Rests
ESPN reported Curry, who turns 39 in March, spent the summer changing his routine to better manage a persistent right knee problem, and that Kerr plans to have him practise less to ease his workload.
Warriors still short-handed
Golden State will again be without centre Kristaps Porzingis, who ESPN reported remains out indefinitely with a private health issue and will not travel to Los Angeles. Wings Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody are rehabbing serious knee injuries and are expected back midseason.
Guard Brandin Podziemski (lower back soreness) and centre Charles Bassey (right knee tendinitis) did not practise on Monday, and Kerr considers both day-to-day, NBC Sports Bay Area reported. The Warriors were due to practise again on Tuesday before flying to Los Angeles.
Redick yet to settle his starting five
Lakers coach JJ Redick started Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Matisse Thybulle, Ziaire Williams and Walker Kessler in Friday’s 121-106 preseason loss to the Denver Nuggets, leaving out Quentin Grimes, who had started the first four preseason games, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Asked whether Grimes could start, Redick said he was “still open to both”. “He’s going to start a lot of games for us. That’s just the reality of it,” Redick said. “I don’t know who our base starting group is yet.”
Collin Sexton, who missed all five preseason games with a lower right leg injury, took part in his first full Lakers practice on Monday and is day-to-day for the opener, the New York Post reported.
“We’ll be taking it day by day,” Sexton said. “At the end of the day, I had a really good practice [Monday], felt good. Super excited to be back out there with the guys, so I look forward to it.”
The Warriors came from 13 points down at half-time to beat the Lakers 101-89 when the teams met in a preseason game in Las Vegas last week, with Doncic rested.
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