Dubs Talk hosts Monte Poole and Kerith Burke discuss what Warriors stepped up in absence of Steph Curry after he was sidelined with a left shoulder injury.
Steph Curry is set to play his third consecutive game Sunday since returning from his left shoulder subluxation when the Warriors play the Chicago Bulls at the United Center. The Warriors had multiple days between his first and second game, and a day off in between his second and what will be his third game.
That won't be the case in what would be his fourth game since returning to the floor. Following Sunday's game against the Bulls, the Warriors play the Washington Wizards at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. Prior to tipoff Sunday, Steve Kerr relayed good news to traveling fans, too.
Curry will be good to go and has been cleared for back-to-backs going forward, barring anything unforeseen.
"Yeah, we'll see how he comes out after each game but there are no restrictions at all," Kerr said to reporters in Chicago.
The Warriors on Sunday will play their second game of a five-game road trip. Over the eight-day stretch, the Warriors have two sets of back-to-backs -- first against the Bulls and Wizards, and then against the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers.
That brings up the question: What about Klay Thompson?
He has yet to play both nights of a back-to-back this season since returning Jan. 9, 2022 from two season-ending leg injuries. The plan will continue with Thompson during this road trip, though optimism remains that he will play both nights at some point this season.
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"We're still working towards that time," Kerr said. "We do feel like there's going to be a time where he can play back-to-backs. I think it's unlikely on this trip, given that he had the knee soreness last week that kept him out of the game.
"We're going to continue to be cautious with Klay, but you never know how these games are going to go. Last game, both Steph and Klay played about 22, 23 minutes and that help matters in terms of how it informs us the rest of the trip. It's just kind of wait and see after each game."
Thanks to the Warriors leading by 25 points after three quarters Friday night against the San Antonio Spurs at the Alamodome, Curry and Thompson each sat the entire fourth quarter. Curry played just over 23 minutes and Thompson missed the mark by 20 seconds.
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Thompson has played 33 of the Warriors' 42 games this season, averaging 31.9 minutes and 20.7 points per game. However, he was a last-minute scratch on Jan. 7 against the Orlando Magic after feeling some knee soreness in his pregame warmups. Before that, Thompson averaged 38.3 points over 38.9 minutes in the Warriors' previous three games, including his 54-point performance in the Warriors' double-overtime win against the Atlanta Hawks where he played 46 minutes.
Curry, after missing 11 straight games, scored 24 points in a loss to the Phoenix Suns and the Warriors only needed 15 from him in their blowout win over the Spurs.
