Warriors' Curry expected to practice next week, play during road trip

The defending two-time NBA champion Golden State Warriors may not be without their leading scorer for too much longer.

Stephen Curry has made significant strides in his rehabilitation from a strained left groin which has cost him the past eight outings, the team announced Saturday.

The goal is for the All-Star point guard to start practicing with the Warriors next week and hopefully suit up at some point during the team's upcoming five-game road trip.

"He's anxious to get back," head coach Steve Kerr said Saturday, according to ESPN's Nick Friedell. "But he's handled it very well, supporting his teammates, getting his rehab in every day, working really hard. So he's handling it pretty much exactly as you would expect Steph to handle it."

The three-time NBA champions have gone 3-5 without Curry in the lineup. That stretch also included the first four-game losing skid since Steve Kerr came aboard as head coach. The Warriors rank 19th in offense, 21st in defense, 22nd in scoring, and 18th in 3-point shooting percentage during that span.

In 12 appearances, Curry is averaging 29.5 points on 51.5 percent from the field and a career-best 49.2 percent from behind the arc, adding five rebounds, 6.1 assists, and a steal in 33.3 minutes per game.

Golden State hosts the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night and then the Orlando Magic on Monday before embarking on their road trip, which opens Nov. 29 in Toronto.