Golden State Warriors star guard Stephen Curry is expected to play in Game 4 against the Houston Rockets on Sunday after experiencing no pain in his right ankle at practice.
Head coach Steve Kerr gave the update after Saturday’s practice as the Warriors prepared for the Rockets in the Western Conference first-round series.
“I expect him to play, he looked fine,” Kerr said after Curry practiced with the team Saturday.
Curry joined in a five-on-five scrimmage during practice at Toyota Center in Houston. The Warriors officially listed Curry as probable for Sunday’s game.
“We went full-court, five-on-five and he didn’t have any pain this morning or after the workout,” Kerr said Saturday. “So we’re expecting him to play, but we’ll see how he is (Sunday) morning.”
Kerr may place a minutes restriction on Curry.
“The conditioning and the rhythm is an issue, after being out that long, but we’ll monitor it,” Kerr said. “Steph doesn’t generally take too long to get his rhythm back, so I think he’ll be fine. But we may have to alter the substitution pattern a little bit and get him out earlier, depending on his wind.”
Curry missed the last two games after spraining his ankle in Game 1.
“It’s not pain. It’s like soreness that comes along with all that my ankle’s been through,” Curry said after Saturday’s practice. “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.”
The reigning league MVP said he wanted to play in Golden State’s 97-96 loss to Houston on Thursday night. The teams split the two games Curry was out and Golden State leads the series 2-1.
–Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley is the recipient of the Joe Dumars Trophy presented to the 2015-16 NBA Sportsmanship Award winner, the league announced.
Conley, who previously won the award in 2013-14, joins Grant Hill (three) and Jason Kidd (two) as multiple winners since the award’s inception in the 1995-96 season.
The annual award reflects the ideals of sportsmanship — ethical behavior, fair play and integrity — in amateur and professional basketball, a key focus of the league’s NBA Cares program. The trophy is named for former Detroit Pistons guard and Hall of Famer Joe Dumars, the award’s first recipient, in 1995-96.
Conley, 28, will be presented the Joe Dumars Trophy in a pregame presentation before Sunday’s Game 4 against the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference first-round playoff series. The Spurs lead the best-of-seven series 3-0.
In 56 regular-season games this season, Conley averaged 15.3 points and 6.1 assists. He has been sidelined with an Achilles injury.
Conley (Southwest) was one of six divisional winners, joining the Toronto Raptors’ Luis Scola (Atlantic), the Chicago Bulls’ Pau Gasol (Central), the Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard (Northwest), the Golden State Warriors’ Shaun Livingston (Pacific) and 2014-15 winner Kyle Korver of the Atlanta Hawks (Southeast).
–The NBA fined Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart $5,000 for violating its anti-flopping rules during the Celtics’ first-round playoff win over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday.
The incident occurred with 4:32 left in the fourth quarter of host Boston’s 111-103 win. Atlanta leads the series 2-1.
–The Charlotte Hornets were without forward Nicolas Batum, who suffered a strained left ankle in the fourth quarter of Game 2 on Wednesday, for Saturday’s game against the Miami Heat.
Batum is hoping to return for Game 4 on Monday in Charlotte.