Stephen Curry will not play in Thursday night’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers. As a result, there will be no regular season matchups between Curry and LeBron James this season.
Curry’s Absence and Playoff Preparation
Curry missed the previous two matchups due to a right knee issue. The Warriors are opting to sit him on the front side of an upcoming back-to-back to manage his comeback. The Warriors’ medical staff decided they’d prefer Curry play in Sacramento on Friday night rather than Thursday night against the Lakers. They initially listed Curry as questionable.
Curry returned this past Sunday night from a 27-game absence. He played a combined 51 minutes in the past two games, coming off the bench to better spread out his court time. Curry scored a combined 43 points in those two games.
The Warriors are locked into the 10th seed and need to win two road play-in games next week to force their way into the playoffs as the eighth seed. The Warriors hope to crank Curry’s usage up over the 30-minute mark this weekend as they prepare for Wednesday night’s elimination game against either the Portland Trail Blazers or LA Clippers.
James and Curry Head-to-Head Record
James is in his league-record 23rd season, with no confirmation he will stretch it to a 24th. Curry is in his 17th NBA season. They’ve faced each other 27 times in the regular season and 28 times in the playoffs. James’ teams are 14-13 in the regular season, while Curry’s teams are 17-11 in the playoffs, winning three of the five series.
Lakers’ Playoff Push
The Lakers, without the injured Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, are 50-29. They are tied with the Houston Rockets for the fourth seed with three games left.