All eyes can be at the stands when a long term challenger to his throne could have a possibility to scout Stephen Curry’s long-range capturing arsenal because the Golden State Warriors face the Indiana Pacers on Friday in Indianapolis.
Having overwhelmed Sabrina Ionescu in a wildly widespread NBA vs. WNBA 3-Level Problem on the All-Megastar Recreation in Indianapolis ultimate yr, Curry is rumored to be paired towards Caitlin Clark at subsequent month’s midseason vintage on his house court docket in San Francisco.
Clark helped deliver ancient reputation to the WNBA season over the summer season as a rookie for the Indiana Fever, who proportion their house court docket with the Pacers.
Clark has attended a number of NBA video games this season, together with Pacers house video games towards the New Orleans Pelicans and New York Knicks.
The NBA has made no announcement on a imaginable Curry-Clark shootout on All-Megastar Weekend, however it is transparent Curry is a large fan of the previous Iowa celebrity.
“Her capturing skill is her superpower,” Curry mentioned. “I like what she’s accomplished for ladies’s basketball. When she presentations up, the seats are crammed, and there is a other power.”
With the Warriors having rested Curry’s 36-year-old knees already thrice on back-to-backs this season, there is no ensure Clark would get a possibility to look her doable rival despite the fact that she attends the sport.
Curry shot simply 2-for-14 from 3-point vary on Thursday, however the Warriors escaped Detroit with a 107-104 win to kick off a four-game travel. The Olympic hero contributed 17 issues and 10 rebounds within the victory.
Golden State performed the entrance finish of a back-to-back with out a number of key gamers, together with Andrew Wiggins, who left the group for private causes.
Warriors trainer Steve Kerr introduced after the Thursday contest that Wiggins once more would now not be with the membership for the Indiana recreation. It is unsure if or when the ahead may go back on a travel that continues with video games at Toronto on Monday and at Minnesota on Wednesday.
Golden State additionally has rested Draymond Inexperienced below identical instances this season. Kerr introduced in Detroit that each Curry and Inexperienced could be game-day choices on Friday, determinations sophisticated by means of the truth that Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, Gary Payton II and Moses Moody have been already lacking from the travel opener.
Whilst the Warriors have been finishing a two-game dropping streak, the Pacers have been taking part in a day without work Thursday to leisure at the laurels of a four-game profitable streak. The victories — over the Miami Warmth, Phoenix Suns, Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls — got here by means of a median of 15.2 issues.
A day without work was once precisely what the physician ordered for 2 key Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton, who worked thru a painful ankle towards the Bulls, and Myles Turner, who sat out the Chicago recreation because of an sickness. Each have been indexed as questionable for Friday.
Pacers trainer Rick Carlisle has loyal Thomas Bryant on standby in case Turner is sidelined once more.
“He appeared to all the time be in the precise position on the proper time,” Carlisle mentioned of Bryant’s 22-point, eight-rebound effort in a 129-113 victory over the Bulls. “He brings an actual sure power.”
Turner had 23 issues and 10 rebounds whilst Haliburton added 16 issues and 12 assists because the Pacers gained 111-105 at Golden State on Dec. 23. Curry was once restricted to ten issues, capturing simply 2-for-9 from past the 3-point arc.
–Box Stage Media
