Steph Curry returns, takes cautious approach in Warriors’ win over Wizards

WASHINGTON — The last time Steph Curry was on a basketball court came eight days prior to Monday’s return in Washington D.C. He rolled his left ankle in the Warriors’ lone loss of the season to the Clippers, tried to gut through it, checked himself back in the game and twisted his left ankle again.

Yes, he admitted on Monday night, the first twist led to the second twist and he shouldn’t have gone back on the court after the initial sprain.

“For sure,” Curry said. “I’ve been through plenty of those episodes and know whether it’s something I can play on or not. I made a misjudgment on that one because it was right away. Adrenaline got the best of me. But thankfully it was only a little over a week (absence).”

Curry targeted the Wizards game as a way to ease himself back into the lineup in a friendlier environment before the competition gets fiercer later this week. Lead medical decision-maker Rick Celebrini put him on a strict 24-minute restriction. Curry played the first six minutes, sat the next 12 and then returned for the final six minutes of the first half.

“I feel good,” Curry said. “It’s just still early in the year and you’re trying to build up the endurance. My ankle feels fine. You just don’t want to get in a position where you feel fatigued and put yourself in jeopardy.”

Curry spent much of his rest time either in the tunnel or on the outside of timeout huddles, cycling through various stretches and strength exercises to test his ankle and keep his body warm. To better pattern his minutes so he wouldn’t have an elongated rest, they didn’t start him in the second half, opting to use his two six-minute segments at the end of the third quarter and fourth quarter. Curry finished with 24 points in the Warriors’ 125-112 win.

“Assuming he feels good (coming out of this game), I don’t anticipate a big minutes restriction in Boston (on Wednesday),” Steve Kerr said.

The Warriors were a plus-nine in Curry’s 24 minutes and a plus-four in the other 24 minutes. They went 3-0 over the Pelicans (twice) and Rockets in his absence. They’ve outscored opponents by 65 points in his 238 minutes off the floor early this season, showcasing the improved depth they’ve been glowing about for a month.

These are all positive signs.

But Curry and the Warriors know what lies in their direct view. They just wrapped up what may be their softest portion of the schedule all season — wins over the Blazers, Jazz, a depleted Pelicans team twice, the Rockets and the Wizards — and now may be entering their toughest subsection of the schedule.

They close this road trip in Boston, Cleveland and then Oklahoma City, facing a trio of teams that Kerr said might be the three best in basketball. The Celtics, Cavaliers and Thunder are a combined 22-1. They then go home for games against the Mavericks and Grizzlies.

“That’s why this (Wizards game) is important,” Curry said. “Got through this game and didn’t stretch too many minutes. For sure I’ll play more (in Boston).”

Both Kerr and Draymond Green identified “offensive execution” as the area in need of most growth. They enter this difficult stretch fourth in the league with a 118.9 offensive rating but were thrown out of rhythm during a 31-point blown lead in Houston and in the loss to the Clippers when the ball pressure cranked up.

The Celtics (for at least part of Wednesday’s game) are likely to replicate the formula used by their former coach, Ime Udoka, in that Rockets comeback, switching most screens in an effort to slow movement and force the Warriors to beat their high-level individual defenders in one-on-one settings. Curry’s reappearance makes that challenge much easier.

Boston’s and Cleveland’s and Oklahoma City’s defensive personnel make it significantly harder. The Thunder have a 95.1 defensive rating, 7 points better than the next best team.

The Warriors are that next best team. They exit the night with a 102.1 defensive rating, 4 points better than the third-ranked defense. Kerr has been vocal about his belief that they must develop a defensive identity early this season and build from there.

He is making his rotation decisions accordingly. Kerr is committed to the starting frontcourt of Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis, believing an extra rim protector behind Green (allowing him to freelance and lessen the pounding on his body) is more important than an extra shooter or shot creator. On Monday against the Wizards, along with Curry and Andrew Wiggins, he also started Gary Payton II, using him to pester Jordan Poole to open the game.

The Celtics will test them in ways others don’t. Boston has a league-best 121.8 offensive rating and is averaging an NBA record 50.9 3-point attempts per game, making 37.3 percent of them. Jaylen Brown missed their last game with a hip strain and might not be there Wednesday, but Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and a motivated Jayson Tatum (and frothing Celtics crowd) will be. The basketball world should know more about the authenticity of this hot Warriors start in the next 10 days.