LOS ANGELES — Meek Mill played over the loudspeakers in the gymnasium at the Mo Ostin Basketball Center on the UCLA campus on Tuesday as players took turns hitting shots after a long practice.
Stephen Curry was lying on a coaches table in the corner, where he was receiving treatment after being seen taking some pitches of his own – a small but promising development in his recovery from a leg injury.
The Warriors are back and well rested after six much-needed days out, and there was a rejuvenated vibe for them after they limped into the All-Star break with . 500 and four players down.
“You can tell just by the warm-ups. The guys are talking, there’s a lot of smiles, music playing, a lot of energy,” said Kevon Looney.
Coach Steve Kerr added, “I think everybody needed a break, and I think a lot of the guys came in refreshed and recharged today and we had a really good workout, so the break was necessary.”
The break came at a good time for Curry, who is sidelined indefinitely after partially tearing two ligaments in his leg in a collision with a Mavericks player on Feb. 4.
Curry spent her free time at the bay and attended two Stanford women’s basketball games. But he seems to be turning a corner in his recovery.
Curry returned to the court for the first time since partially tearing two ligaments in his leg in a collision with a Mavericks player on Feb. 4. Curry did light, non-contact work on the side, Kerr said. The Warriors will wait and see how he responds to the increased workload on Wednesday.
Curry is expected to be reassessed when the team returns to the Bay on Friday, although an official return schedule remains unclear.
With the Warriors at 29-29 and ninth in the Western Conference standings, Golden State will need to skip a few teams to get out of the dreaded play-in tournament.
Kerr said the focus is on getting players healthy. Tuesday’s practice was an opportunity to get the team under one roof to break a sweat.
“Today was more about blowing up after a week off,” Kerr said. “They just needed to play and make a ton of shots. Then they really exploded and their boobs were burning a little bit, but tomorrow we’ll be more focused on what we need to close the rest of the way.
Klay Thompson said the NBA schedule break is a necessity for all players. He spent time swimming in the ocean and spending time with his family and his beloved bulldog, Rocco. He called that time “incredible”.
“Mentally, physically, spiritually, everything I ever dreamed of,” Thompson said. “It was nice to have days off to relax.”
Observation: Andrew Wiggins was conspicuously absent from practice. After losing their last game against the Clippers for a personal reason, the Warriors said his timeline is up in the air as he deals with a personal matter.
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