Stephen Curry returning for Warriors after out 11 games

Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry warms up prior to an NBA basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday, Dec. 29, 2017, in Oakland, California. AP

OAKLAND, California, United States — Stephen Curry is returning to the court Saturday night against the Memphis Grizzlies after missing 11 games for Golden State with a sprained right ankle.

Coach Steve Kerr said his plan would be to play Curry in 6- to 7-minute stretches and aim to keep the two-time MVP below 30 minutes total, saying “ideally 20-25 minutes would be nice.”

“Ideally four of those bursts sounds about right to me, but this is not an exact science, so we’ve discussed it,” Kerr said.

The Warriors went 9-2 during Curry’s absence. Kerr is hopeful the extended rest for his star point guard now to get fully healthy will benefit Curry down the stretch and in the postseason for the defending champions. /cbb