Tag: Golden State Update

Steph Curry to make official return from injury on Thursday vs. Raptors

It’s official, Stephen Curry is back.

It’s official — he’s back. After being out of the Golden State Warriors lineup for the past 58 games, Stephen Curry will make his long-awaited return to the floor against the defending champion Toronto Raptors on Thursday night.

Curry was injured when Aron Baynes of the Phoenix Suns fell on the two-time Most Valuable Player, breaking his hand on October 30, 2019, at Chase Center.

Curry has since gone through a long rehab with the last step coming on Tuesday in Santa Cruz. The six-time All-Star was assigned to Golden State’s G League affiliate in Santa Cruz. Curry practiced with the G League squad in a full-contact five-on-five scrimmage to simulate live game action and ramp up his conditioning.

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one step closer 🙏🏽 @gleaguewarriors

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After passing his final test, Curry was cleared by the Warriors to return against the Toronto Raptors in a nationally televised game on Thursday night.

In the four games before his injury, Curry was averaging 20.3 points, 6.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. During that span, the three-time NBA champion was shooting 40.9 % from the field and 24.3 % from beyond the arc.

Curry’s addition to the lineup will come as the Raptors make their first trip to the Bay Area since winning the NBA Championship at Oracle Arena last season.

Steve Kerr on Dragan Bender’s future: ‘I would love to give him another 10-days’

Has Dragan Bender earned another 10-day contract with the Golden State Warriors?

During the final stretch of the season, the Golden State Warriors are using the bank end of their roster to experiment with players on 10-day contracts. With 20 games left, Golden State has already circulated through five different players on 10-day deals.

The highest-profile player to come to Golden State on a 10-day contract is 2016 lottery pick, Dragan Bender. The former Phoenix Suns fourth overall draft pick was waived as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2019-20 season, leading him to the Warriors.

In six games with Golden State, the 22-year-old big man averaged 7.5 points and 6.3 rebounds in 23.3 minutes per game. Bender started three games during his stint with the Warriors, but struggled to show off his long-distance shot. The Croatian shot 29.2% from 3-point land on 24 attempts in six games.

Although his time in Golden State was up and down, Bender saved his best performance in the final game of his 10-day contract. The center scored 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting with two makes coming from beyond the arc. Bender added five rebounds and two assists in Golden State’s comeback win against the Denver Nuggets.

Steve Kerr spoke to reporters in Denver about Bender’s future with the team. Golden State’s coach said he wants to keep Bender around for another 10-days if possible.

Via Anthony Slater of The Athletic:

I really like Dragan; I think he’s got a lot of potential. We’ll see what happens going forward. I would love to give him another 10 days if that’s possible. We’ll figure that out as an organization going forward. He’s got a lot of potential, obviously — the fourth pick in the draft, there’s a reason for that. I think he’s shown in the 10-days that if you give him a little confidence, you give him a chance to play and he can gain some confidence he can do a lot of good things out there. He’s helped us win two games in a season when we’ve not won a whole lot of games. He’s helped us win two of the last three and done a great job. He’s fighting; he’s competing. I really like him — I think he’s got a future in the league.

With injuries to Golden State’s frontcourt in Draymond Green, Kevon Looney and Alen Smailagic, the Warriors have a need for a presence like Bender. The Warriors will have only one day off with Bender’s contract expired before the Toronto Raptors come to San Francisco on Thursday night.