The Warriors took a sigh of relief Friday after receiving an encouraging update on Steph Curry’s ankle injury.
Golden State is expected to share an official update Saturday, but a source confirmed to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole that the team received “positive news” on Curry’s MRI and his expected timeline to return is around 7 to 10 days.
Stanford Medicine’s Dr. David E. Oji, MD spoke to NBC Sports Bay Area to further discuss the injury and what Curry’s potential rehab and recovery process could look like.
Dr. Oji indicated that Curry’s injury likely was on the “mild side” given his expected quick return to the court.
The Warriors star rolled his ankle late in Thursday night’s loss to the Chicago Bulls. He limped off the court before going to the Warriors’ locker room for further evaluation.
MRI results revealed no structural damage, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Friday, adding that the timeline for his return will be based on how his ankle responds over the next few days.
Dr. Oji stated that age shouldn’t factor into Curry’s rehab, as the sharpshooter will celebrate his 36th birthday next week in the midst of his 15th NBA season.
“As long as the ankle is stable from any injury, even from a mild sprain, as long as the ankle stability is maintained, he’s still at a nice optimal age that he should heal very well,” Dr. Oji said.
The two-time NBA MVP officially was ruled out of Saturday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs at Chase Center, but The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Anthony Slater reported, citing sources, that “there’s optimism his absence will not be lengthy,” adding that the level of optimism stems from how Curry’s ankle responded overnight.
While this certainly is good news for Dub Nation, the Warriors must play it safe with their superstar point guard as he works to get back to the hardwood for the final stretch of the regular season.
“The most important thing is [to wait] for the full evaluation from his physical therapy team and team providers,” Dr. Oji said. “Make sure that there’s no structural issues. Make sure that his strength and ligament stability is all well maintained.
“And they’ll probably just have him do drills and test out the ankle with or without taping, and as long as he’s doing well, they’ll probably let him accelerate his rehab pretty quickly, allowing him to get back pretty fast.”
With 20 regular-season games remaining, Golden State (33-29) currently sits in ninth place in the Western Conference and is 3.5 games back from the Phoenix Suns, who currently hold the sixth and final playoff spot.
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