Warriors' Stephen Curry continues rehabbing on road trip

HOUSTON - The shots splashed in the net like they always do. Too bad Stephen Curry can only take those shots at the end of morning shootaround.

The Warriors have sidelined Curry at least for the next five games, including Thursday’s contest in Houston, because of a sore left groin that has kept him sidelined for the past three contests. Though Warriors coach Steve Kerr has said Curry’s MRI results have left him “encouraged,” the Warriors have since learned that Curry still feels symptoms.

“Sometimes the symptoms and the MRI and the imaging don’t fit,” Kerr said following morning shooaround on Thursday. “It’s not always going to be perfect. We’re basing this on symptoms and groin injuries are tricky.”

Nonetheless, Kerr reported that the Warriors’ director of sports medicine and performance, Rick Celebrini, told the coach that Curry is “getting better.” It is not clear if the Warriors have cleared Curry for additional drills.

But Curry took shots on Thursday in what marked the first time he has done so in front of reporters since he sustained the injury in the third quarter of last week’s game against Milwaukee. Curry also completed exercises with Celebrini at the end of Thursday’s morning shootaround that tested his range of motion.

With the Warriors planning to re-evaluate Curry on Nov. 24, he could return as early as Nov. 26 against the Orlando Magic at Oracle Arena. Curry might sit out longer, though, since Kerr has said he wants him to practice first. The Warriors won’t have practice on Nov. 25 after playing a back-to-back. The Warriors then have two possible practice days on Nov. 27 and Nov. 28 before playing in Toronto on Nov. 29.

“He’s going to need plenty of court time before he returns,” Kerr said. “Live action. He hasn’t had that.”

If nothing else, Curry’s presence could help the team in a different way. Curry did not travel with the Warriors during their one-game trip to Los Angeles for Monday’s game against the Clippers because the Warriors then had a game on Tuesday against Atlanta.

“We were based it on how he was feeling,” Kerr explained. Then, lo and behold, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green had a verbal spat that prompted the Warriors to suspend Green for one game without pay.

Curry is with the Warriors on their three-game trip to Houston (Thursday), Dallas (today) and San Antonio (Sunday), making it necessary for Celebrini to be with the team for its various training needs. In the meantime, though, Curry might play peacemaker between Green and Durant.

“The plan was to take Steph unless it was counter-productive for his own rehab. We considered keeping him home, but having Steph in the locker room anytime is good for us. He wanted to be here and he’s here and has been very helpful,” Kerr said. “It’s great to have him on the trip and the adversity we hit. Steph is always going to be a guy who smooths out bumps and keeps us rolling. It’s great to have him here.”