Stephen Curry resumes light shooting, looking toward Game 3

The Golden State Warriors just might see star guard Stephen Curry on the court for Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinal series against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Curry missed Sunday's series opener due to a sprained MCL in his right knee and coach Steve Kerr said before the contest that it is "pretty slim" that Curry would be able to play in Tuesday's Game 2.

But Game 3 isn't until Saturday in Portland, giving Curry a chance to further his rehab and test the knee in 5-on-5 scrimmages.

"It just depends how his week goes," Kerr said. "We'll just monitor him and see how it goes and hopefully get him back at some point. ... It's nice to have that long break between (games) 2 and 3."

Curry injured the knee in Game 4 of the first-round series against the Houston Rockets on April 24. He underwent an MRI exam -- that's when the ligament injury was diagnosed -- and general manager Bob Myers said the reigning MVP would miss at least two weeks.

Curry is seemingly ahead of that timetable in that he has already began light shooting. On the other hand, he still needs to test the knee with planting and change-of-direction drills before he can be cleared to play.

"It's all speculation," Kerr said. "As Bob said from the beginning, the two-week timetable was just kind of a random guess more than anything based on past history of these MCL injuries. So, we don't really know, but that's the hope, is that by the middle of next week we'll get him back in more basketball-type movements."

Curry has expressed that he's aware he won't be 100 percent when he returns. Sitting out playoff games is hard for him but he said he is trying to focus on the efforts of his teammates.

"I had the utmost faith and confidence in the 14 other guys on this team to go out and show who they are and what they're capable of, and they've obviously done that," Curry told reporters. "I only played 38 minutes in the first round and we finished it in five. They're a very capable group without me.

"Obviously I'd like to be out there with them and I feel like we're a better team when I'm out there, but the way that they play and the way they have that confidence and swagger about them, it's fun to watch. We're going to need that, the same energy, focus and confidence going forward to start this next round."

Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts wasn't buying into the notion that his club has received a major break with Curry sitting on the sidelines.

"They're a great team without Steph," Stotts said. "They're a historically great team with him."