Clippers' Warriors Challenge Just Got Harder After Latest Steph Curry News

The Los Angeles Clippers host the Golden State Warriors in the first game of the two potential "win or go home" clashes of the week. On Wednesday, the No. 9 Clippers face the No. 10 Warriors with the hopes of setting up a game against the loser of the 7-8 matchup between the Blazers and the Suns in the Play-In Tournament.

On paper, the Clippers are the heavy favorites against the Warriors. In reality, this matchup just got significantly harder after Monday's news out of the Bay Area.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said on Monday that Steph Curry will play "at least 30 minutes" and "hopefully more" in the play-in game against the Clippers, per ESPN's Anthony Slater.

Steph Curry Gives Warriors a Fighting Chance vs. Clippers on Wednesday

This is a major development for the Warriors. Curry hasn't played 30 minutes in a game since January 22nd. He has played in seven games since then, but his minutes were restricted due to the nagging knee injury he has been dealing with all season. Since his return from an extended absence ten days ago, Curry has averaged 26.8 minutes per game.

After Sunday's regular-season finale, Kerr said that Curry, along with Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis, would be on a minutes restriction, adding that they won't play 40 minutes. This likely means that Curry will play somewhere between 30 and 40 minutes on Wednesday.

This gives the Warriors a much better chance against the Clippers. Golden State is 24-19 in the games Curry has played and 13-26 in the games he missed. When he is on the court, the Warriors have a +3.2 net rating, per Cleaning the Glass. When he is off, the Warriors have a -3.3 net rating. The more minutes the 38-year-old star can play, the closer the Warriors can stay to the Clippers.

While he has had injury issues all season, Curry is still a force to be reckoned with whenever he is on the court. He remains a matchup nightmare, still making near 40% of his threes on 11.3 attempts per game. His gravity makes everything easier for the rest of his team, allowing the Warriors to have a solid offense despite a limited supporting crew.

Regardless of how much and how well Curry plays, the Clippers should still like their chances. The Clippers are the more talented team with more two-way players. Kawhi Leonard and Darius Garland have been playing very well, and the two have managed to build chemistry in recent weeks. With home-court advantage, the Clippers will still be favored, but the task at hand will be more difficult against a four-time NBA champion who has as much postseason experience as any.

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