Curry to have limited playing time in crucial play-in game for Warriors
Stephen Curry is among three Golden State Warriors who will have their minutes limited during the team’s play-in matchup against the Clippers in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr mentioned on Sunday that Curry, Kristaps Porzingis, and Al Horford will each play under 40 minutes in this crucial game.
This contest serves as a rematch of the regular-season finale held on Sunday, which the Clippers won 115-110. A loss for the Warriors would conclude a season that the team would likely prefer to forget, as Golden State secured the final play-in spot with a record of 37-45.
Curry has been dealing with knee issues for much of the season, while Jimmy Butler suffered an ACL tear in early January. Horford has been managing a calf injury, and both Draymond Green and Porzingis have been coping with back discomfort.
The Warriors have sought to regulate the playing time of their veteran stars throughout the season, and the play-in game is no exception. Kerr has expressed his belief that the league should consider a shorter regular-season schedule to help mitigate such injuries.
“I know this will not be a popular opinion in the league office, but I will continue to say it because it’s obvious we need to play fewer games — we need to take 10 games off the schedule,” he stated in March. “I think it would be a more competitive and healthier league if we played fewer games.”
For the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard rested during the final games of the season to prepare for the play-in. Leonard achieved a career-high average of 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists during a largely healthy season, in which he participated in his second-most games as a Clipper. He played 68 games two seasons ago after being limited to 37 in 2024-25 due to injuries.
