The Golden State Warriors are expected to have Stephen Curry available when they face a rested Oklahoma City Thunder squad in San Francisco on Wednesday night, playing their second game in two days.
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The Warriors opted to rest Curry on Tuesday, but his replacement, Dennis Schroder, stepped up by scoring 23 points in a 114-103 home win over the Utah Jazz. Curry, who has been dealing with sore knees and a painful right thumb, warmed up before the game but was kept fresh for the upcoming clash against the Western Conference’s top team.
Curry missed Golden State’s 105-101 home loss to the Thunder on November 27, which followed the Warriors’ 127-116 road victory 17 days earlier. Curry scored 36 points in that win at Oklahoma City.
While the Warriors have slipped out of the top 10 in the West after a strong 12-3 start, the Thunder have been surging, winning 22 of their last 25 games. They kicked off a two-game Western swing with a 118-108 win at Portland on Sunday, led by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 35 points and Jalen Williams’ 24 points.
Wednesday’s game serves as a bit of a homecoming for Williams, who played college basketball at Santa Clara in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Denver native has contributed 16, 22, and 13 points in his past three visits, all resulting in wins.
Williams played the 2019-20, 2020-21, and 2021-22 seasons at Santa Clara before becoming the Thunder’s first-round pick, 12th overall. He followed in the footsteps of Brandin Podziemski, who transferred from Illinois to Santa Clara before being drafted 19th overall by the Warriors.
The two have faced off five times over the past two seasons, with Williams outscoring Podziemski by an average of 19.8 points to 9.0 points. Podziemski had 20 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in the Warriors’ win over the Jazz on Tuesday. An NBA All-Rookie first-team selection last year, he has averaged 15.7 points while making nine 3-pointers in the past three games.
Williams, who made the 2022-23 All-Rookie first team, aims to return to San Francisco next month as a first-time All-Star, while teammate Isaiah Hartenstein is also pushing for the honor.