Steph Curry's status looms over the Warriors' first-round playoff series with the Denver Nuggets, which begins Saturday at Chase Center.
Curry is making good progress in his rehab from a bone bruise and sprain in his left foot, but his availability for Game 1 is undetermined. But there is a star on the other side who is a massive question mark heading into the postseason: Jamal Murray.
The Nuggets' star guard has missed the entire season after tearing his ACL last April in a loss to the Warriors at Chase Center. The Nuggets have been clear that Murray can return whenever he feels he is mentally and physically ready. Murray has been seen dunking in pregame warm-ups, and the Nuggets haven't ruled him out for playoffs.
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A mid-series return against the Warriors is a scenario that's on the table to Nuggets president Tim Connelly.
"I wouldn't be surprised at all," Connelly told 92.5 in Denver on Wednesday. "When Jamal feels like he is ready, he is going to sprint out there. He's in the red zone of return to play. It's totally up to him. Once we give him certain assurances that he looks good physically -- we've told him throughout the entire process, 'You pass these certain lines and it's on you to tell us when you're ready to get back out there.'"
While Murray is close to potentially returning, Connelly said Michael Porter Jr., who had back surgery earlier this season, is a bit behind Murray in the rehab process.
Nuggets head coach Michael Malone told reporters Sunday that Murray also still has a mental obstacle to clear.
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“Obviously, he's not there yet,” Malone said before tip-off of the team's regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Lakers. “That's a real big mental hurdle to make ... he has good days and he has days that are not as good. And that's been very challenging for him mentally."
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Curry will scrimmage Thursday and the Warriors will then determine if he has the green light for Game 1, or if Game 2 is more realistic.
As for Murray, the Nuggets are putting the ball in his court. He can return at any point if he feels ready. If not, the Nuggets will have to face the Warriors without him.
While Curry's availability hangs over everything, the potential for Murray to return is a wild card that could flip the series on its head at any moment.