With or without Stephen Curry, the Warriors proved to be a threat against the Wizards next

The Golden State Warriors expect Stephen Curry to return to the lineup if they win their straight game against old Jordan Poole and the Washington Wizards in the nation’s capital on Monday night.

Curry injured his left ankle in an Oct. 27 home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers and has missed the Warriors’ last three games, all of which they have won.

The 10-time All-Star gold medalist and 2024 Olympian accompanied the team on its five-game road trip, which began with a 127-121 overtime victory over the Houston Rockets on Saturday night. The win improved Golden State’s road record to 3-0.

Curry was reevaluated on Friday, cleared to work out with the team, and, according to the Warriors, showed improvement heading into Monday’s game. However, he will be listed as questionable pending how he feels during warmups.

Meanwhile, veteran Draymond Green believes the Warriors are complicit in feeling like they’re pushing without Curry.

“Honestly, we’re all sick and tired of hearing that,” Green said after the win over Houston. “Steph is Steph, and we all know that. But, for some reason, when Steph is out, everyone acts like we can’t play. We’re all very sick. And it’s added motivation to win these three.

“If you think that hasn’t been said, you’re crazy. We’re all NBA players; we’re All-Stars, first-round picks, you name it. And for some reason, every time Steph comes out, everybody’s like, ‘Man, the world has fallen apart.’ Now, we want him to get out there, like everyone else, but we can still sing.

Reserves played a key role in the win in Houston. Buddy Hield led the team with 27 points, while Jonathan Kuminga (23 game points) and Kyle Anderson struggled in overtime 8-2.

The Warriors swept the last two seasons’ series against the Wizards, including a 123-112 victory in Washington last February when Kuminga had 21 points and Curry 18.

Traded to the Wizards last season, Poole struggled in his first two games against the Warriors. He scored 37 points in the loss but shot just 12-for-38, including 5-for-20 on 3-pointers. He also committed seven turnovers.

Now in his second season with Washington, the 25-year-old is off to a high-scoring start and leads the team with 22.2 points per game. Has topped 20 points in four of five games, including each of the last three. He had 21 points when the Wizards traveled to Mexico City on Saturday and lost 118-98 to the Miami Heat.

Wizards coach Brian Keefe notes that Poole is making an effort to improve in areas he was criticized for while in Golden State.

“His work on defense has been very good,” Keefe noted, “and he plans and plays in the flow of the game.”

Someone the Warriors may struggle to recognize is second-year guard Bilal Coulibaly, who had just seven points in his one game against Golden State last season.

The Frenchman improved his scoring average from 8.4 to 19.4 this season on the strength of three 20-plus-point outings in his last four games.

–Field Level Media