Most teams at the bottom of the NBA standings are either going through a rebuild or about to start one. Yet, for the Golden State Warriors, things are a bit different.
With 20 games remaining on the season, Curry made his long-awaited return against the Toronto Raptors on Thursday, March 5. The two-time Most Valuable Player recorded 23 points on 6-of-16 shooting with seven assists and six rebounds.
How Curry adjusts to his surgically repaired hand while building chemistry with his new teammates like Andrew Wiggins and Marquese Chriss will give Golden State a glimpse of what their future could look like.
Here are Golden State’s six most important games on the calendar with Curry back in the rotation:
Warriors at Bucks: March 5, 5:30 PM PST
Two teams on the opposite ends of the NBA spectrum may not mean much this season, but the Warriors trip to Milwaukee is about the future. How the Warriors play against the Eastern Conference-leading Bucks could provide as a baseline evaluation in their climb back to the top of the NBA mountain.
On top of the game, there is the Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo effect. The dueling MVP’s have built a friendship since being teammates in the All-Star game over back-to-back seasons.
In Milwaukee’s trip to San Francisco on January 8, Antetokounmpo scored 30 points. After the game, Curry gifted the Greek forward with a signed Golden State No. 30 jersey.
The two will get the chance to see each other on the court for the first time this season on March 5 during a nationally televised game.
Warriors at Knicks: March 21, 4:30 PM PST
Whenever Curry travels to Madison Square Garden, the date should be highlighted and circled. The Davidson product is 8-1 against the Knicks in the Garden, averaging 24.7 points per game.
In New York, Curry is shooting 50.0 % from the field and 51.3% from beyond the arc. Golden State’s sharpshooter has nailed five or more 3-pointers in five of his nine games in the Knicks home.
Curry’s scoring career-high came at Madison Square Garden in 2013. The point guard tallied 54 points on 18-of-28 shooting, with 11 makes coming from long distance.
However, depending on how Golden State plans to use Curry in his return from injury could limit his playing time in New York. The Warriors take on the Knicks in the second game of a back-to-back during a five-game east coast road trip.
Thunder vs. Warriors: March 28, 5:30 PM PST
The Oklahoma City Thunder are one of the few teams that Curry should have a bit of familiarity with during the 2019-20 season. With the playoffs still being the goal, the Warriors traveled to Chesapeake Energy Arena in their second game of the season.
Curry registered 23 points on 7-of-18 shooting, but it wasn’t nearly enough. The Thunder blew out Golden State 120-92 behind Danilo Gallinari and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 40 combined points.
The Thunder are now cruising for a playoff spot in the Western Conference, but what makes round two attractive is Curry’s matchup with Chris Paul. From his time with the Clippers to the Rockets, the two All-Star point guards have paired against each other for several memorable battles. Curry’s return to the court wouldn’t be right if he didn’t have to go through Paul.
Warriors at Rockets April 2, 5:00 PM PST
Curry was out for Golden State’s biggest win of the season that came on Christmas Day against the Houston Rockets. Curry will get his first shot at the Rockets in April.
Although the stakes will be lower than their previous playoff battles, Curry against James Harden and Russell Westbrook is one of the better rivalries in the NBA. Each time the trio of All-Stars are on the court together, there is always the potential for scoring fireworks.
How Curry, Wiggins and Draymond Green respond to Houston’s new brand of centerless small-ball hoops will be something to monitor as Golden State could see a similar lineup in a future playoff series.
Warriors at Lakers April 7, 7:00 PM PST
LeBron James versus Curry — need anything else?
In Curry’s absence, the Lakers have taken over as the crown jewel of the Western Conference. Golden State’s final trip to Los Angeles of the 2019-20 season will be Curry’s first glimpse of the pairing between James and Anthony Davis.
If Golden State has plans of getting back to the top of the Western Conference soon, there’s a strong chance they’ll have to go through Los Angeles.
The Warriors late-season matchup against the Lakers could be a preview of a potential budding playoff rivalry.
Blazers vs. Warriors 4/13 7:30 PM PST
In another rematch of a playoff series of old, the Golden State Warriors will welcome in the Portland Trail Blazers in their final home game of the regular season. Whenever Curry laces up across from Damian Lillard in the Bay Area, the game is bound to be exciting, but this matchup could have playoff implications.
The Blazers are in the middle of a four-team chase for the final spot in the Western Conference playoffs. A loss to the struggling Warriors late in the year could play spoiler to Portland’s season.
Lillard, CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic will bring postseason energy to Curry’s Golden State squad for the Chase Center 2019-20 season finale.
