Curry: ‘I’m going to play’ in Game 4 against Celtics

BOSTON – The Golden State Warriors superstar, Stephen Curryexpects to be active in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday (9 p.m. ET, ESPN Sports).

Curry’s status was up in the air after suffering an injury late in the fourth quarter of Game 3 when Boston Celtics power forward, Al Horfordrolled onto his leg as the two dove for a loose ball.

Curry lay on the ground for a few minutes, screaming in pain, before limping to his feet. He was still walking gingerly about an hour and a half after the game when he walked in and out of the interview room.

But on Thursday, Curry seemed to be walking just fine. The Warriors didn’t practice Thursday and instead used the day as a rest and recovery day. Only low minute players did work on the pitch.

“I slept about 10 and a half hours, a couple of ice bucket dives and that’s it for now,” Curry said of the treatment he had been doing for the past 12 hours. “So take advantage of today and tomorrow to be completely ready for the game. To get as much recovery and healing as possible and understand how important Game 4 is. I’m excited about the opportunity.”

Curry compares the injury he sustained in Game 3 to a less severe version of the foot sprain he sustained against the Celtics in March, when Marcus Smart he rolled on his leg in another fumble situation and missed the final month of the regular season.

“Because I went through what I went through in the regular season and coming back, I know exactly what it is and what I have to deal with, the level of pain and all of that,” Curry said. “So once I got checked out last night, I knew I didn’t have to go in for any more tests just because we’d been through this before.”

In March, Curry only needed to walk a few steps after the play with Smart to realize something was wrong with his foot.

“As soon as you start taking a couple of steps, you know if you can run normal, cut normal or not,” Curry said.

Because of that, it only took a few steps on Wednesday to realize he was injured, but he was also able to gauge whether or not he needed to get out of the game right away, or if he could continue playing. He also gives you confidence that he will be available on Friday.

“There is a good understanding of what it is and all that. I guess it comforts me knowing I’ve been through that before, but also one would rather not have to deal with something like that at this point in the season.”

Curry’s status is imperative to the Warriors’ success, especially in a pivotal Game 4 that could see the Warriors tie the series again or fall behind 3-1. The entire Warriors organization knows it. And that’s why as soon as Curry realized his injury wasn’t serious, he declared himself available.

“I’m going to play,” he said definitively. “That’s all I know right now.”

ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk contributed to this story