Report: Major Steph Curry Injury News Revealed Before Wizards Game

Stephen Curry will "be re-examined next week" as he attempts to make his return from his runner's knee injury, per ESPN's Shams Charania and Anthony Slater.

That means Curry will miss Friday's game against the Washington Wizards and Sunday's game against the Denver Nuggets. Curry entered Friday having missed 23 straight games.

Sources told Slater that "Curry has not given up hope on returning late this regular season."

Curry has not been able to scrimmage five-on-five with the team, which is required for any Warrior returning from a long-term injury.

He suffered the knee injury in the second half of Golden State's loss to the Detroit Pistons on Jan. 30.

Curry Running Out of Time to Return This Season

Here is a look at Golden State's schedule for the rest of the regular season:

3/27 vs. Wizards
3/29 @ Nuggets
4/1 vs. Spurs
4/2 vs. Cavaliers
4/5 vs. Rockets
4/7 vs. Kings
4/9 vs. Lakers
4/10 @ Kings
4/12 @ Clippers

The Warriors are locked into a play-in tournament spot, though it's looking increasingly likely that they will finish the regular season 10th in the Western Conference.

That would mean they'd play their first play-in game on April 15. If they win that one, they'd play again on April 17.

If they win both, they'd likely begin their first-round series on April 19.

It's anyone's guess on whether Curry will return this season, but one thing seems clear: Curry and the Warriors will hold out hope that he can return until the last minute.

Warriors Need Curry Badly

The Warriors are 23-16 when Curry plays and just 12-22 when he doesn't, which pretty much sums it up. But here are some numbers that show Curry's value.

The Warriors score 7.5 points per 100 possessions more with Curry on the court, per Cleaning the Glass. That differential ranks in the 94th percentile.

The Warriors' effective field-goal percentage is 58.1 when Curry is on the floor, per NBA.com. It drops to 53.1 when he is off.

Curry is averaging 27.2 points per game. Outside of Jimmy Butler, who is out for the season with a torn ACL, no other Warrior is averaging over 16 points per game.

To be sure, every team needs its best player, but many contenders could tread water and maybe win a play-in game or two without theirs.

The Warriors are simply not good enough to win games with major stakes without Curry.