MINNEAPOLIS — Stephen Curry has been cleared for shooting drills and light on-court workouts despite a strained left hamstring, giving him a chance to play for the Golden State Warriors if they force a Game 6 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Warriors re-evaluated Curry on Wednesday before playing their must-win Game 5 without him and announced he was “making good progress” in his recovery from the injury suffered in the opener of the second-round series.
If the Warriors beat the Timberwolves, Curry will be re-evaluated on Saturday, ahead of Game 6 in San Francisco on Sunday. There’s a three-day break scheduled between Games 5 and 6, affording Curry extra time to heal.
Curry traveled with the team to Minneapolis, but he already had been ruled out for the fourth consecutive game when the official injury report was released on Tuesday.
Curry’s first career hamstring strain, one of several injuries that have waylaid star players during these NBA playoffs, has made it predictably harder for the Warriors to space their offence and generate scoring. They are averaging 17 turnovers per game in the series and shooting only 36 per cent from three-point range.
Starting guard Brandin Podziemski shot 9 for 40 from the field over the first four games, including 3 for 17 from beyond the arc. He has just 30 points in the series.
