Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry has been out due to a sprained ligament and bone bruise in his left foot since mid-March. Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Warriors eight-time All-Star Stephen Curry 'very optimistic' for Game 1 vs. Nuggets

The Golden State Warriors haven't participated in the NBA playoffs since their last in a string of five consecutive runs to the Finals — a six-game series loss to the Toronto Raptors in 2019. Klay Thompson finally returned to action this season, after missing the last two campaigns with brutal knee and Achilles injuries, but now his fellow "Splash Brother" Stephen Curry is on the shelf.

Curry went down with a sprained ligament and bone bruise in his left foot in mid-March during a contest against the Boston Celtics and he missed the remainder of the regular season. It's been reported all week that No. 30's availability for Saturday night's Game 1 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs against the Denver Nuggets could "go down to the wire" and remained up in the air.

On Thursday, Curry talked about his status with longtime teammate and fellow Warriors dynasty member Draymond Green.

Golden State head coach Steve Kerr said Tuesday that it was "essential" that the future Hall-of-Famer play in a scrimmage before making his return to the hardwood. The Dubs are scheduled to hold a team scrimmage on Thursday, so there could soon be another update on Curry's chances for Game 1.

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