SAN FRANCISCO – Warriors fans can relax and sleep a little easier at night. Stephen Curry returned to practice Sunday and is expected to be good to go when Golden State begins the 2024-25 NBA season in Portland on Wednesday.

 

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The two-time NBA MVP had missed one preseason game with a sprained right index finger that he initially hurt last week. Curry wore a protective wrap on his finger against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday before tearing it off midway through the game.

That caused some concern for Dub Nation, but all indications are that Curry is fine and will be on the court against the Trail Blazers for the season tip-off.

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“I liked seeing Steph Curry scrimmage and being healthy,” Kerr said after practice at Chase Center on Sunday. “That was the main reason that we scrimmaged for as long as we did. So we got a good run, he got a good run.”

The Warriors have spent most of training camp trying to adjust to life without Klay Thompson, who is with the Dallas Mavericks now.

When Curry got hurt, the initial reaction was for Golden State to hold its collective breath. When the injury was deemed to be minor, folks in the Blue and Gold breathed a sigh of relief.

Preseason stats don’t mean much in the big picture, but the Warriors’ 36-year-old point guard hasn’t exactly been very sharp. In four tune-up games this year, Curry averaged 11 points – his lowest since he was a rookie in 2009-10.

He shot 36.6 percent from the field and just 28 percent (7 of 25) behind the arc.

Fourth-year guard Moses Moody has agreed to a three-year, $39 million rookie contract extension with the Warriors, his agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Sunday night.

Moody is entering the final year of his four-year rookie contract, which is set to pay him just over $5.8 million this season.

The extension, which runs through the 2027-28 NBA season, comes on the heels of The Athletic’s Anthony Slater reporting earlier in the week that Moody and the Warriors were discussing a deal in the range of the mid-level exception, which is approximately $12.859 million for the 2024-25 season and will increase to $13.501 million next season.

The deadline for Moody and fellow fourth-year pro Jonathan Kuminga to sign rookie extensions is Monday.

Moody has been in and out of the Warriors’ rotations his first three seasons, but the 22-year-old Arkansas product had a strong training camp and carried that over into the preseason, earning praise from coach Steve Kerr.

Now, with a new extension in place, Moody’s role likely will be elevated when the Warriors open the new season on Wednesday in Portland against the Trail Blazers.

While Kerr has some tough rotation decisions to make in the coming days, it’s clear Moody now will have a prominent role moving forward.

In 66 games last season, Moody averaged 8.1 points and 3.0 rebounds in 17.5 minutes — all career highs. He shot 46.2 percent from the field and 36.0 percent from 3-point range.

Moody has shown what he’s capable of during an impressive preseason, averaging 15.5 points on 45.6-percent shooting from the field and 39.4 percent from 3-point range in six games.

Moody has the contract and security he was looking for. Now his goal will be to contribute to a bounce-back Warriors season as they hope to return to the NBA playoffs.