The Golden State Warriors anticipate Stephen Curry’s return to the lineup as they take their road winning streak into the nation’s capital to face old teammate Jordan Poole and the Washington Wizards on Monday night.
Curry injured his left ankle on October 27 in a home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, missing the Warriors’ last three games—all victories. The 10-time All-Star and 2024 Olympic gold medalist has traveled with the team on its five-game trip, which began with a 127-121 overtime win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday night, improving Golden State’s road record to 3-0.
Curry was re-examined on Friday and given the go-ahead to work out with the team. According to the Warriors, he has shown steady progress leading into Monday’s game, but he will be listed as questionable pending how he feels during warm-ups.
In the meantime, fellow veteran Draymond Green believes the Warriors have rallied around the perception that they’re vulnerable without Curry. Reserves played a crucial role in the win against Houston, with Buddy Hield leading the way with a team-high 27 points.
Jonathan Kuminga (23 points) and Kyle Anderson contributed significantly during an 8-2 overtime run.
The Warriors have swept the last two season series against the Wizards, including a 123-112 win in Washington last February, where Kuminga scored 21 points and Curry added 18. Traded to the Wizards last offseason, Poole struggled in his first two games against the Warriors, totaling 37 points but shooting just 12-for-38, including 5-for-20 from three-point range. He also had seven turnovers.
Now in his second season with Washington, the 25-year-old Poole is off to a high-scoring start, leading the team with 22.2 points per game. He has scored more than 20 points in four of five games, including each of the last three. He had 21 points when the Wizards played in Mexico City on Saturday, losing 118-98 to the Miami Heat.
Wizards coach Brian Keefe notes that Poole is making an effort to improve in areas where he was criticized while with Golden State.
Another player the Warriors might not recognize is emerging second-year guard Bilal Coulibaly, who had just seven points in his only game against Golden State last season. The Frenchman has improved his scoring average from 8.4 to 19.4 this season, with three 20-plus-point games in his last four outings.
