NBA injury update: Stephen Curry’s return nears as Golden State Warriors prepare for crucial match against Minnesota Timberwolves

The Golden State Warriors will face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night. The Warriors, without their leading guard Steph Curry, managed to pull off both games with the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers, however, not in a straight manner.

Stephen Curry is almost ready to join the Warriors after missing five games, as per Coach Steve Kerr. On Thursday, Kerr gave an encouraging report on Curry's development saying that he is "on track" to return. He has been sidelined after suffering a left quad contusion and muscle strain last month, which happened during the team's latest road trip.

The Golden State Warriors are expected to receive a major boost as Stephen Curry nears his return from a quad injury

Due to a quad injury, Curry has missed Golden State's last five games.

With a 13-12 record, the Warriors are currently ninth in the Western Conference rankings after going 3-2 in Curry's missed games.However, according to Kerr, Curry is improving and practiced all day on Wednesday. He said after the recent practice: “Feeling great. I had a good rehab week and the guys took care of business on the trip, so that was great to see the energy coming back.. I’m happy to practice the last couple days to see how I feel.

After these last two sessions, I’m pretty optimistic.”He continued:“A lot of long days. You always talk about rehab, it’s monotonous, especially when the team is away… You’ve got to have some really good playlists.”

While Curry was out, the rest of the team members contributed greatly, thus keeping the team on track. However, now, the icon is back. Additionally, the Minnesota game does not have Curry as a formally injured player on the list.

Hence, his participation is anticipated. The prediction is that Curry will return to action on Friday. Additionally, while talking about Curry’s return, Kerr said earlier this week: "It's looking good.”After sustaining the injury, Curry was formally diagnosed with a left quad contusion and muscle strain. However, now, he is recovering. He also participated in a full team exercise, according to the coach on Wednesday.When asked about Curry's status for Friday, Kerr replied:"Day-to-day, but it's looking good.”

Stephen Curry’s workload may be limited on Friday

Now, the Warriors will try to utilize Curry as much as possible. They have a chance to catch up on Friday night because they are only 2.5 games behind Minnesota. On the other hand, Curry might play for a very limited number of minutes in his first game back. After a few weeks on the sidelines, there's also a risk that he might not be in his perfect form. However, neither would be a serious reason for alarm. For Golden State, the two-time MVP is having yet another incredibly successful season. During the 2025–26 NBA season, Curry is averaging 27.9 points, 4 assists, and 3.7 rebounds while shooting over 39% from three-point range.Also read: When is Stephen Curry returning? Sudden setback puts NBA legend and Golden State Warriors in tight spot