Report: Warriors optimistic for quick Steph return after clean MRI

Report: Warriors optimistic for quick Steph return after clean MRI originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors received a positive update on Steph Curry’s injury Friday.

Curry’s MRI on his right ankle came back clean with no structural damage after rolling it in Thursday night’s loss to the Chicago Bulls, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported, citing sources, and a timeline for his return will be based on how his ankle responds over the next few days.

The two-time NBA MVP is expected to miss at least a game or a few games with the ankle sprain but “there’s optimism his absence will not be lengthy,” sources told The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Anthony Slater. The level of optimism stems from how Curry’s ankle responded overnight, Slater added.

A clearer timeline for his return is expected within the next couple of days.

Curry rolled his right ankle with less than four minutes remaining in Golden State’s 125-122 loss Thursday night at Chase Center. He limped down the court before exiting the contest and going to the Warriors’ locker room for further evaluation.

The superstar point guard sustained the injury while cutting to the basket and tweaked his ankle under the basket while kicking the ball out to Moses Moody in the corner.

“He’s got his foot in a bucket of ice right now,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters postgame. “I haven’t talked to the training staff.”

Before exiting Thursday’s game, Curry had 15 points on 5-of-18 shooting from the field and 3 of 12 from 3-point range, with three rebounds and one assist in 29 minutes. In his 15th NBA season, the soon-to-be 36-year-old is averaging 26.9 points on 44.9-percent shooting from the field and 40.7 percent from deep, with 4.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 59 games this season.

The Warriors are 0-3 without Curry this season, but Klay Thompson is confident in the team’s depth to step up without its star.

“I know we’re going to miss him if he does have time off,” Thompson told reporters Thursday. “We’ve been in this position before where he does have time off and we just have to do it collectively. I know he’ll be ready to go when he does come back whenever that is, we just want to wish him a speedy recovery and to take his time.”

With 20 games remaining in the regular season, Golden State currently sits in ninth place in the Western Conference with a 33-29 record and is 3.5 games back from the Phoenix Suns, who currently hold the sixth and final playoff spot.

But Thompson has the utmost faith in the Warriors’ longtime motto: Strength in numbers.

“Not really, but if he is out, unfortunate, but it’s part of the length of the season,” Thompson said. “It’s hard to play every game, especially not have any minor injuries. We’ll do well without him, we can rely on our history and how to execute without him.”

Golden State hosts the Spurs on Saturday at Chase Center and then will travel to San Antonio to play them on Monday before facing the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday and the Los Angeles Lakers next Saturday on the road.

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