Stephen Curry Cleared for Full-Contact Scrimmage, Edges Closer to Return
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SAN FRANCISCO — March 31, 2026 — Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry received medical clearance Tuesday afternoon to participate in a five-on-five scrimmage, marking the most significant step yet in his recovery from a lingering right-knee injury.
Head coach Steve Kerr said Curry will sit out his 26th straight game Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs and is “doubtful” for Thursday’s home meeting with the Cleveland Cavaliers. “We need to see how he responds to the scrimmage and go from there,” Kerr told reporters.
Curry first experienced pain and swelling in his knee after a Jan. 24 workout in Minneapolis. He played a few contests through discomfort before exiting a Jan. 30 loss to the Detroit Pistons in the third quarter and has not played since.
Initial projections targeted a post-All-Star-break return, but the knee reacted poorly to on-court work during All-Star weekend in Los Angeles. Rick Celebrini, the organization’s director of medical services, kept Curry out of contact drills for several weeks, limiting him to weight-room and individual sessions.
The two-time MVP pushed for scrimmage clearance last week, but Celebrini waited until Tuesday morning to approve full contact work. Curry joined a group of young players and coaches for the session. Kerr said the gym felt “bouncier” and that the team’s “spirits were lifted” by Curry’s presence. Third-year forward Gui Santos added that the veteran guard looked sharp during practice.
Following the Spurs-Cavaliers back-to-back, Golden State gets two days off before hosting the Houston Rockets on Sunday. The Warriors are 36-39, have dropped 16 of 25 games without Curry, and occupy the Western Conference’s 10th seed, the final spot in the play-in bracket. The club hopes to have Curry available soon enough to log multiple games before play-in week, when it would need two consecutive wins to claim the No. 8 playoff seed.
Source: ESPN
