Steve Kerr was very straight forward with his response about if Stephen Curry will play in Game 4 versus the Houston Rockets, saying “I assume so.”
According to ESPN’s Ethan Strauss, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr will reportedly play his star point guard Stephen Curry in Game 4 of the Warriors’ first-round series versus the Houston Rockets.
Kerr on if Curry will play: "I assume so"
— Ethan Strauss (@SherwoodStrauss) April 24, 2016
Curry hurt his ankle in Game 1 at Oracle Arena in Oakland in this series. The reigning league MVP has not played for the Warriors in the two games since in this series. Golden State enters Game 4 at Toyota Center in Houston up two games to one in the best-of-seven series.
Conceivably, the Warriors could have rested Curry for the remaining two to four games in this first round series, as Golden State should be able to advance even without their star point guard on the floor. It’s more important for Curry to have his health for the Western Conference Semifinals versus either the No. 4 seeded Los Angeles Clippers or the No. 5 seeded Portland Trail Blazers.
Ankle injuries are the biggest concern for Curry, as he dealt with persistent ankle issues in his first few years in the NBA before becoming the league’s preeminent scoring threat from the outside. If Curry does have clearance to play in Game 4 versus the Rockets, then he can if he and Kerr feel compelled to do so.
Houston was able to steal a game at home in Game 3 with a last-second shot by Rockets All-Star shooting Guard James Harden, so perhaps Golden State wants to leave no doubt and win this first round series in five games.
Portland won Game 3 at Moda Center Saturday night, so maybe the No. 4/No. 5 series lasts longer than the No. 1/No. 8 Golden State finds themselves in. Should the Warriors close out the Rockets in five games, then Golden State could look to get a few extra days of rest for Curry’s nagging ankle should the Los Angeles/Portland series go to six or even seven games.
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