Stephen Curry is set to play at least 30 minutes, and likely more, when the Golden State Warriors face the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday in the first of two potential win-or-go-home games this week. Steve Kerr said Monday that Curry would be on the floor for at least that much in the No. 10 Warriors' Play-In Tournament meeting with the No. 9 Clippers.
The number matters because Curry has not played 30 minutes in a game since January 22nd, and he has played in only seven games since then. His minutes have been limited by a nagging knee injury he has managed all season, though he returned from an extended absence ten days ago and has averaged 26.8 minutes per game since coming back. Kerr had already said after Sunday's regular-season finale that Curry, Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis would be on a minutes restriction and would not play 40 minutes.
Golden State's reliance on Curry is plain in the results. The Warriors are 24-19 when he plays and 13-26 when he does not, and their net rating swings from +3.2 with him on the court to -3.3 when he sits. That gap looms over a Clippers-Warriors game that could send the winner into another elimination matchup against the loser of the 7-8 game between the Blazers and the Suns.
That is the friction in Wednesday's game: Golden State needs Curry's minutes, but not so many that they aggravate a knee issue that has limited him for months. Kerr's answer leaves little room for caution. The Warriors will need their star on the floor early, often and with enough left to survive whatever comes next.
