Warriors welcome Steph Curry back to starting lineup
Stephen Curry was added back into the starting lineup for Game 5 against
the Denver Nuggets for the first time since suffering a foot injury last
month, the team announced Wednesday night just moments before tip-off at
Chase Center.
>Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry reacts after hitting a
3-point-basket in the second half of Game 4 of an NBA basketball
first-round Western Conference playoff series against the Denver
Nuggets, Sunday, April 24, 2022, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
>Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry reacts after hitting a
3-point-basket in the second half of Game 4 of an NBA basketball
first-round Western Conference playoff series against the Denver
Nuggets, Sunday, April 24, 2022, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
By MADELINE KENNEY | mkenney@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: April 27, 2022 at 6:34 p.m. | UPDATED: April 27, 2022 at 6:39
p.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/04/27/warriors-welcome-steph-curry-back-to-starting-lineup/

SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors are set to start their lethal three-guard
lineup Wednesday night for the first time this season as Stephen Curry
was reinserted back to the starting lineup for the first time since
suffering a foot injury last month.

Golden State revealed its starting lineup about 30 minutes before
tip-off of Game 5 of the first-round series against the Denver Nuggets
at Chase Center.

Coach Steve Kerr on Tuesday said Curry was cleared to play without
restrictions. The news came two days after Curry played 37 minutes in
the Warriors’ Game 4 loss, which sent the best-of-seven series back to
the Bay Area.

Curry will start alongside Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins
and Draymond Green. The means the durable Kevon Looney was the odd man
out and sent to the bench for the beginning of what could be the
clinching game of the Warriors’ first-round playoff series against the
Nuggets. That lineup has outscored the Nuggets by 26 points in 32
minutes together this series. The group looked to struggle early in Game
4 but they came in clutch down the stretch, though Denver ultimately
came out victorious.

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With all signs pointing to Curry returning to the starting lineup,
Nuggets coach Michael Malone said his team’s gameplan wouldn’t change.

“Is it tough to guard? Yes, it is,” he said. “But we’ve seen it for four
games already. So if they decide to start that way so be it, and we’ll
make our necessary adjustments depending upon who they start. But at the
end of the day, we know when the gmae is on the line who’s going to be
on the floor for them, and we’ve seen that many, many minutes in this
series so far.”

Curry had come off the bench in the first four games of the series,
which the Warriors lead 3-1.

“It feels good knowing everything is moving in the right direction
managing the injury,” Curry said Tuesday after practice. “These first
four games, it’s obviously been a little different and [I tried] to make
the most of it, and it’s gone pretty well.”

Pain management is still something Curry and the training staff will
closely monitor as the sprained ligament and bone bruise in his left
foot continues to heal.

“Every game it gets less and less,” Curry said. “… We’re still on that
journey even though I can bump my minutes to what they’re usually at.”

Since his return, Curry is averaging 27.5 points per game while shooting
51.4% overall and 38.9% from beyond the arc. He’s also averaging 5.5
assists, three rebounds and 1.5 steals per game this postseason.

--
Madeline Kenney | Warriors reporter