Steph Curry Minutes Restriction Revealed for Play-In Game vs. Clippers

Steve Kerr said after the Warriors' 115-110 loss to the Clippers on Sunday that Stephen Curry, Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis will have a minutes restriction for Wednesday's play-in game.

The Golden State head coach said none of them will play 40 minutes.

For Porzingis and Horford, that was never gonna happen anyway. But for Curry, it's a notable restriction.

Last year, Curry played 39 minutes in the play-in game against the Grizzlies before playing 40 minutes in Game 1, 41 in Game 3, 42 in Game 6 and 46 in Game 7 against the Rockets.

But it makes sense that Kerr doesn't want to overextend Curry.

The two-time MVP returned from a 27-game absence on April 5, and he's since played four games. His minute totals in those game were 26, 25, 27 and 29.

To go all the way to 40 on Wednesday would risk a major drop in performance as well as a reinjury.

The Athletic's Nick Friedell wrote on X that Kerr's comments on Curry's minutes restriction suggest Curry will likely be around the 32 mark.

Leonard Likely to Be Available for 40-Plus Minutes

Kawhi Leonard sat out Sunday's win over the Warriors, which was a precaution considering he had played in 11 straight and was at 65 for the season.

In last year's playoffs, Leonard only surpassed 40 minutes in overtime of the Clippers' Game 1 loss to the Nuggets.

He played 39:56 in Game 4.

During this regular season, Leonard topped 40 minutes three times, including a season-high 41:53 in December against the Lakers.

If this game is close, expect Leonard to be right around 40 minutes.

Curry Looks Great on Sunday

Curry had 24 points on 7-of-14 shooting and 4-of-9 three-point shooting in 29 minutes on Sunday.

The Warriors were a plus-13 when Curry was in the game and a minus-18 when Curry was on the bench.

Perhaps most importantly, he found some rhythm in the third quarter using his handle to get inside.

He attempted only three two-pointers in the previous two games combined, not looking very spry. But he erased some of those concerns Sunday.