Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry continues to battle through a right thumb injury, but it won't stop the 2x MVP from taking to the court for Game 2 of his team's first-round series against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.
Curry re-aggravated the injury in the penultimate game of the regular season against the Portland Trail Blazers, and was seen with his hand heavily iced as he departed his press conference following a Game 1 victory on Sunday.
Both the Warriors and Rockets will again be at full strength
The injury seemingly hasn't hampered Curry's impact at all over the last couple of games, with the 37-year-old dispelling the narrative of Rockets forward Amen Thompson being a 'Curry stopper' with a blistering performance on Sunday.
Curry had 31 points on an efficient 12-of-19 shooting and 5-of-9 from 3-point range, including some audacious shot-making that stood out even more in such a low-scoring, defensive-minded contest.
That came after Curry had 37 points in the Play-In tournament victory over the Memphis Grizzlies at Chase Center, while he also had 36 points on 7-of-12 3-point shooting in the regular season finale against the L.A. Clippers.
steph leaving the press conference after game 1 with ice wrapped around his hand 🥲 pic.twitter.com/wgfLbgumAr
— nana (@namxsj) April 21, 2025
Gary Payton II has also been listed on the injury report as he deals with his own thumb injury, but he too will be available after recording seven points, three rebounds, one assist and two steals in nearly 16 minutes off the bench in Game 1.
It leaves Steve Kerr with a full rotation to pick from again, with plenty of debate on who should be getting bench minutes after the head coach used 10 players on Sunday. Many fans have called for more Gui Santos after the Brazilian forward played less than seven in Game 1, while there's also been calls for axed duo Jonathan Kuminga and Trayce Jackson-Davis to receive some playing time to try and match the physicality and athleticism of the Rockets.
Houston had a 22-6 advantage in offensive rebounding on Sunday, allowing the hosts to fight-back from a 23-point deficit to pull within three despite shooting less than 40% for the game. Head coach Ime Udoka used just eight players in his rotation in Game 1, though many believe he under-utilized Steven Adams after the veteran big man had 12 rebounds (five offensive) in less than 20 minutes off the bench.
Jock Landale and Jae'Sean Tate are out for the Rockets, yet both have had limited impact this season anyway meaning both teams will essentially be at full strength for a huge Game 2.