The Golden State Warriors will be strengthened by the return of superstar guard Stephen Curry when they close out their seven-game home-stand against the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night.
Curry missed Tuesday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks on the second night of a back-to-back, with fellow veterans Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green leading the Warriors to an important 104-93 victory.
Stephen Curry will return for the Warriors to face the Raptors
The 2x MVP appeared fatigued during Monday's shock loss to the short-handed Denver Nuggets, having shot just 6-of-21 from the floor while also crucially committing seven turnovers as Golden State suffered only their second defeat since the All-Star break.
Head coach Steve Kerr confirmed to 95.7 The Game's Willard and Dibs on Wednesday that Curry would return, stating that the 37-year-old "looked great" after watching on from the sidelines on Tuesday.
Curry's return means that Kerr could have his full rotation available for the first time since the blockbuster trade for Jimmy Butler in early February. That will be determined on the fitness of Gary Payton II though, with the in-form guard now dealing with knee soreness after recently missing a game due to a nasal fracture.
Payton has arguably been in his best form since returning to Golden State over two years ago, having scored double-digits in six games since the All-Star break while shooting a much improved 46.9% from 3-point range during that span.
The starting lineup and rotation remains a fascinating story for the Warriors over the remainder of the season, particularly after Brandin Podziemski was incredibly impressive in his return from a five-game absence on Tuesday.
The Raptors will have a host of players on the sidelines, headlined by mid-season trade acquisition Brandon Ingram, former third overall pick R.J. Barrett, and young guard Gradey Dick. Toronto are a lowly 11th in the Eastern Conference with a 24-45 record, but did recently win six of seven games prior to back-to-back losses to the Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns.
While Golden State will enter as heavy favorites, they don't have to go far to get a reminder of what can happen if they don't bring the requisite intensity. Monday's loss to the Nuggets was one of the worst of the season, while the Warriors have already lost to the Raptors on January 13 after leading by three in the final three minutes.
The Warriors simply need to keep winning to retain hold of the sixth-seed in the Western Conference, but they'd undoubtedly like to get some late-game rest into their veterans ahead of a six-game road-trip.