Warriors Announce Steph Curry Clears Major Knee Injury Return Hurdle

Stephen Curry has missed the Golden State Warriors' last 25 games with runner's knee, but a return is imminent.

Curry went through a full practice Tuesday, per ESPN's Anthony Slater. NBC Sports Bay Area's Dalton Johnson wrote that Curry will go through "a 5-on-5 scrimmage later in the day against young players and coaches for the first time since dealing with lingering issues with runner's knee."

Scrimmaging is usually the last major hurdle before an injured Warrior returns to action.

Steve Kerr added that Curry has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Spurs and that he's doubtful for Thursday's game against the Cavaliers.

When Will Curry Return?

Here is the Warriors' rest-of-season schedule:

4/1 vs. San Antonio
4/2 vs. Cleveland
4/5 vs. Houston
4/7 vs. Sacramento
4/9 vs. Lakers
4/10 @ Sacramento
4/12 @ Clippers

Kerr said he wants to see how Curry recovers from Tuesday's practice before determining the next step.

My guess is he'll be back on Sunday against the Rockets, but the Warriors are in a position where they have almost no incentive to rush him back.

They can't fall below 10th place, and though passing the Trail Blazers to rise to ninth is possible, even that is unlikely with Curry playing.

The Warriors have made it clear that Curry needs to play games in the regular season to ramp up for the play-in tournament, so if he's not back by Sunday, he should be back by April 10 at the latest.

Santos Comments on Curry's Return to Practice

Gui Santos has been the Warriors' most improved player over the last two months, drawing 24 starts in his last 28 games and averaging 15.5 points on 51.9 percent shooting.

Santos was asked by reporters what it like having Curry back at practice.

“It’s amazing man … we have a lot more confidence with him on the court,” Santos said.

Santos is pointing out something that is often overlooked. It's not just Curry's talent that will help the Warriors. It's also what his presence will do mentally for his teammates.

Horford Update

Al Horford has missed the last nine games with a calf strain, but Tuesday's update suggests he won't miss the rest of the season.

The Athletic's Nick Friedell wrote on X that Horford is "encouraged" with how he's feeling and that he hopes to return before the play-in tournament.

Horford was playing his best basketball of the season prior to his calf injury.

In 16 games from January 25 to March 10, Horford averaged 11.1 points and made 37.5 percent of his threes.

Curry has never played with two stretch 5s as talented as Kristaps Porzingis and Horford. It appears we will get to see what that looks like soon.