Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry will miss his third straight game on Saturday, November 2, against the Houston Rockets after his left ankle was re-evaluated Friday, November 1, the team announced.
But the good news is Curry has been cleared to return to practice, although as a limited participant. According to the Warriors’ medical bulletin, Curry will be re-evaluated on Sunday, November 3.
The 36-year-old guard sustained the injury during their 112-104 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on October 27.
Curry first tweaked his left ankle late in the third quarter. He returned four minutes into the fourth quarter and quickly aggravated the injury.
The MRI result showed no structural damage on Curry’s left ankle.
In his 16th NBA season, Curry is leading the Warriors in assists (6.7) and steals (2.0) while scoring 18.3 points per game on 40.7% 3-point shooting.
Despite Curry’s absence, the Warriors have won their last two games by double digits against the injury-riddled New Orleans Pelicans.
The Warriors were also without starting forward Andrew Wiggins and key bench piece De’Anthony Melton, who are nursing back injuries.
Wiggins is set to return against the Rockets, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, while Melton will continue to miss time.
The Warriors’ medical update also revealed Melton “is making good progress.” he was re-evaluated also on Friday. He will be re-evaluated again in one week.
In their absence, Buddy Hield, one of the Warriors’ three veteran additions, took the scoring mantle, averaging 24.5 points in their twin wins against the Pelicans.
Warriors Not on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Radar
While the Warriors have survived Curry’s absence with their depth, they still lack a bona fide No. 2 star.
Their dream trade target, Giannis Antetokounmpo, is rumored to be the next available star in the market as the Milwaukee Bucks are off to a horrific 1-4 start with a bottom-four net rating (-8.7).
CBS Sports’ national columnist Bill Reiter reported on October 31 that two teams are on Antetokounmpo’s shortlist of preferred landing spots should the Bucks trade him.
The Warriors are not on the list.
“Teams are circling — and hopeful,” one Western Conference team executive said.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened by the trade deadline,” said a top executive of a team that could be in the mix.
An Eastern Conference NBA executive has already heard the places believed to be Giannis’ would-be preferred destinations: “The teams I’ve heard are Miami and New York — the Nets, not the Knicks.”
In February, The Athletic reported trading for Antetokounmpo is their “dream scenario” as they “have long understood that a star wing next to Curry is their cleanest path back to title contention before Curry’s late prime fades.”
Jimmy Butler a Name to Monitor: Report
If Antetokounmpo goes elsewhere or stays in Milwaukee, another All-Star wing could become available.
Miami Heat‘s six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler could become an unrestricted free agent next summer if he declines his $52.4 million player option next season.
According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Butler is a name to monitor in the Warriors’ chase for Curry’s new running mate.
“The end certainly justified the means — two Warriors wins during a 4-1 start — but it also served as a reminder that Kuminga would probably be better off elsewhere. To be fair, Kuminga played more minutes and was more productive in those two Pelicans games than he had in the previous three (28 and 27 minutes, respectively; 17 and 16 points).
“Yet while rival executives believe the Warriors are more willing than ever to include Kuminga in a trade of significant magnitude, the fact remains that they’re setting their sights very high in terms of possible targets,” Amick wrote on November 1. “One name to monitor is Jimmy Butler, the 35-year-old Miami Heat star who league sources say drew interest from the Warriors during the offseason and who did not come to terms on an extension. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent next summer.”
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