Steph Curry returns and takes a cautious approach in the Warriors' win over the Wizards

WASHINGTON — The last time Steph Curry was on a basketball court was eight days before her return to Washington on Monday. In the Warriors' only loss of the season against the Clippers, he twisted his left ankle, tried to fight through, came back into the game and twisted his left ankle again.

Yes, he admitted Monday night, the first twist led to the second twist and he shouldn't have gone back on the court after the first sprain.

“Absolutely,” Curry said. “I've seen a lot of these episodes and I know whether it's something I can play on or not. I made a misjudgment because it was instantaneous. Adrenaline overwhelmed me. But luckily it only lasted a little over a week (absence).”

Curry had been eyeing the Wizards game as a chance to get back into the lineup in a friendlier environment before the competition gets tougher later this week. Lead medical decision maker Rick Celebrini placed him on a strict 24-minute limit. Curry played the first six minutes, sat the next 12 and then returned for the final six minutes of the first half.

“I feel good,” Curry said. “It’s just early in the year and you’re trying to build up the stamina. My ankle feels good. You just don’t want to be in a situation where you feel tired and put yourself in danger.”

Curry spent much of his rest time either in the tunnel or outside of timeouts, completing various stretches and strength exercises on the bike to test his ankle and keep his body warm. In order to better manage his minutes and not take a long break, he was not used in the second half and opted to use his two six-minute periods at the end of the third and fourth quarters. Curry finished with 24 points in the Warriors' 125-112 win.

Step (h) back THREE

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— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) November 5, 2024

“Assuming he feels good (after this game), I don’t expect a big minutes restriction in Boston (on Wednesday),” Steve Kerr said.

The Warriors were a plus-9 in Curry's 24 minutes and a plus-4 in the other 24 minutes. They beat the Pelicans (twice) and the Rockets 3-0 in his absence. They outscored their opponents by 65 points in his 238 minutes of play earlier this season, showcasing the improved depth that they have been exuding for the past month. These are all positive signs.

But Curry and the Warriors know what's in their immediate sights. They just completed perhaps their weakest part of the schedule all season – wins over the Blazers, Jazz, a depleted Pelicans team twice, the Rockets and the Wizards – and now face perhaps the most difficult part of the schedule.

They finish this road trip in Boston, Cleveland and then Oklahoma City, facing a trio of teams that Kerr said could be the three best in basketball. The Celtics, Cavaliers and Thunder are a combined 22-1. They then play home against the Mavericks and Grizzlies.

“That’s why this (Wizards game) is important,” Curry said. “I got through that game and didn’t take up too many minutes. I’ll definitely play more (in Boston).”

Both Kerr and Draymond Green identified “offensive execution” as the area most in need of growth. They entered this difficult stretch fourth in the league with an offensive rating of 118.9, but lost their rhythm when the ball pressure increased in a 31-point lead in Houston and in the loss to the Clippers.

The Celtics will likely adopt former coach Ime Udoka's formula (at least for part of Wednesday's game) in this Rockets comeback, switching most screens to slow the movement and force the Warriors to beat their high individual Defenders in a one-on-one setting. Curry's reemergence makes this challenge much easier. The defensive personnel of Boston, Cleveland and Oklahoma City make it much more difficult. The Thunder have a defensive rating of 95.1, 7 points better than the next best team.

The Warriors are the next best team. They left the night with a defensive rating of 102.1, 4 points better than the third-place defense. Kerr has been vocal about his belief that they need to develop a defensive identity early this season and build from there.

He makes his rotation decisions accordingly. Kerr is committed to the starting position of Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis and believes that additional rim protection behind Green (allowing him to work freely and reducing the stress on his body) is more important than an additional shooter or shot creator. On Monday against the Wizards, he also started Gary Payton II along with Curry and Andrew Wiggins and used him to harass Jordan Poole to open the game.

The Celtics will test them in ways others won't. Boston has the league's best offensive rating at 121.8 and is averaging an NBA-record 50.9 3-point attempts per game, a rate of 37.3 percent. Jaylen Brown missed his last game with a hip strain and may not be there on Wednesday, but Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and a motivated Jayson Tatum (and frothing Celtics crowd) will be. The basketball world should learn more about the authenticity of this hot start for the Warriors over the next 10 days.

(Photo of Steph Curry and Jordan Poole: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)