26 Jan 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) Drive to the basket during the second half against Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant (9) at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Waynen-Imagn images Golden State Warriors expects to have Stephen Curry available on Wednesday when they play a second match in two days, in front of a rested Oklahoma City Thunder squad in San Francisco.
Warriors chose to give the curry tonight on Tuesday, and they found a way to win. His replacement, Dennis Schroder, got 23 points in an 114-103 Hemtriumph over Utah Jazz.
Curry, which has been disturbed late by sore knees and a painful right thumb, was heated before Tuesday’s play before a decision was made to keep him fresh for the visit from the Western Conference’s top team.
“It felt like with three matches over the next four nights, knees where they are, let’s be smart about it and go from there,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr and referred to a schedule that includes a visit from Phoenix Suns on Friday.
“This is all part of just being proactive. It made sense to give him the evening and get him right for the rest of the week.”
Curry put out Golden State 105-101 Home loss to Thunder on November 27, the re-match of Warriors’ 127-116 Road Win 17 days earlier. Curry went for 36 points in Oklahoma City.
While Warriors has fallen out of the top 10 in the west after a start of 12-3, Thunder has strengthened in the opposite direction and won 22 of his last 25 games.
They started a two-game Western Swing with a victory 118-108 on Portland on Sunday and got 35 points from the most valuable player candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and 24 from Jalen Williams.
Wednesday game represents a bit of a homecoming for Williams, who played college ball at Santa Clara in San Francisco Bay Area. Denver natives have been on the winning side in each of their last three visits and contributed 16, 22 and 13 points.
Williams played the seasons 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22 at Santa Clara before he became Thunders first round, 12th overall. In his wake, Brandin Podziemski transmitted from Illinois for a season before he was prepared 19th overall by Warriors.
They have been head-to-head five times over the past two seasons, with Williams who won each pole duel with an average of 19.8 points to 9.0 points.
Podziemski had 20 points, seven returns and six assists in Warrior’s victory over jazz on Tuesday. Lefty has an NBA All-Rocie’s first team election last year.
“Just to see what (Williams) did, it increased my trust,” Podziemski said to switch to Santa Clara. “If he could do it, I could do it too. And here we are.”
Williams, who made 2022-23 All-Rocie’s first team, would be happy to return to San Francisco next month as the first time All-Star. Teammate Isaiah Hartenstein is pushing for it.
“We have an all-star in DUB,” Hartenstein said of Williams. “For me (he is) probably one of the most underrated defenders in the league.”
-Field level media
