Warriors clear Curry for light on-court work; pre-Game 6 evaluation is next if series is still going

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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Stephen Curry has been cleared for shooting drills and light on-court workouts despite a strained left hamstring, giving him a chance to play for the Golden State Warriors if they force a Game 6 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Warriors reevaluated Curry on Wednesday before playing their must-win Game 5 without him and announced he was “making good progress” in his recovery from the injury suffered in the opener of the second-round series.

If the Warriors beat the Timberwolves, Curry will undergo his next medical evaluation on Saturday, ahead of Game 6 in San Francisco on Sunday. There’s a three-day break scheduled between Games 5 and 6, affording Curry extra time to heal.

“He’s on the court. He’s doing more stuff, more work, and it’s a possibility that he could play,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said shortly before tipoff at Target Center on Wednesday.

Curry traveled with the team to Minneapolis, but he already had been ruled out for the fourth consecutive game when the official injury report was released on Tuesday.

Curry’s first career hamstring strain, one of several injuries that have waylaid star players during these NBA playoffs, has made it predictably harder for the Warriors to space their offense and generate scoring. They are averaging 17 turnovers per game in the series and shooting only 36% from 3-point range.

Brandin Podziemski shot 9 for 40 from the field over the first four games, including 3 for 17 from beyond the arc. He has just 30 points in the series. Jimmy Butler, playing through an illness, had a minus-30 rating in Game 4 on Monday.

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