OAKLAND – Long after the Warriors concluded practice Saturday afternoon, Stephen Curry had the gym mostly to himself. For the first time in a week, he was able to use it.
Curry completed some light shooting drills, his first basketball activity since sustaining a sprain of the medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his right knee on April 24 in Houston during the first-round series against the Rockets.
Though he’ll miss Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals against Portland on Sunday and almost certainly will miss Game 2 on Tuesday, there is a chance he could return to practice within the next week.
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“There wasn’t a lot of movement; there was some,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Sunday morning of the Saturday session. “He’s progressing well. Obviously, he won’t play (in Game 1). We need to get him on the court. Before he’s going to play in a game, he has to be on the floor in 5-on-5 situations, which means it’s pretty slim he’ll be out there for Game 2.”
The original prognosis for Curry was that he would be out at least two weeks, and wouldn’t be evaluated until around May 9. Curry has stated he’s on a quest to beat that timeline.
Curry after practice worked with his personal trainer, Brandon Payne, who monitored the session that took place roughly 90 minutes after the team had practiced.
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Kerr would not rule out the possibility of Curry returning next Saturday in Portland, as Game 3 comes a full four days after Game 2.
“Maybe Thursday or Friday there’s a chance we could get him on the floor in a scrimmage situation,” Kerr said. “But it’s all speculation.”
