“Different styles, but it’s a physical game. Protecting the paint”. Through his remarks, Stephen Curry made it clear he knows what to expect during the upcoming matchup between the Golden State Warriors and the Memphis Grizzlies. A must-win matchup for both teams, a victory would secure a playoff spot for one of them. While Curry might know where to target the Grizzlies, he also has to be present for the game to ensure that things go smoothly. Given his recent troubles with his right thumb, there was doubt whether the same might be a possibility. Fortunately, a recent update has made things clear and would have allowed the Bay Area fans to breathe a sigh of relief.

As reported by The Athletic’s Anthony Slater, the Golden State Warriors “have a clear injury report for the play-in game against the Grizzlies”. This means that everyone, even Stephen Curry, does not hold an injury status, and will be fully available to take on Ja Morant and Co.

Stephen Curry sustained his thumb injury during Friday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers. He headed to the locker room, but returned soon after getting his thumb taped. The injury did not affect the game much, as the 4x champ was still able to score 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. When questioned about the injury after the game, he revealed, “From what I know, just an aggravation. The same thing [as the earlier thumb injury], but hopefully it wasn’t anything serious … I just know it hurts right now, but I’ll be all right.”

At the same time, however, the 37-year-old revealed, when a reporter tried to delve into more specifics, that “I’m not really good with the anatomy, so. Just know it hurts right now, but I’ll be alright.” Furthermore, it was only a few weeks ago that the NBA’s All-Time 3-point leader had sustained a pelvic contusion from a nasty fall during a Toronto Raptors game. The injury had sidelined Curry for 2 games.

However, Steph was declared ‘Questionable’ for the Warriors’ season finale against the Los Angeles Clippers, but he still made it and dropped 36 points. Considering he now has a clear status, nothing’s in the way of ‘The Baby-Faced Assassin’ dominating again.

While the Warriors are free of any injury concerns, the same cannot be said about the Memphis Grizzlies. According to their Injury Report, as highlighted by ESPN, the Grizzlies currently have 3 players: Zyon Pullin, Jaylen Wells, and Brandon Clarke, speculated to be ‘OUT’ of the upcoming game.

Wells last played in a matchup against the Charlotte Hornets. It was the same game in which he sustained a fractured right wrist and a concussion. Yikes! Having started in 74 of his 79 games in the regular season and averaged 10.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists, his absence can affect the Grizzlies’ odds. However, we cannot say the same about Pullin.

After all, he hasn’t played a game for the Grizzlies since a little before mid-February. Clarke had earlier sustained a high-grade PCL sprain in his right knee. While the same will reportedly not require surgery as treatment, the player will still be ‘OUT’ if the Grizzlies play any more games in the upcoming post-season.

In light of these updates, each team will have to make very few adjustments to their starting lineups.

What will the starting lineup and depth chart for the Warriors-Grizzlies game look like?

In the last 10 games in which Stephen Curry competed against the Memphis Grizzlies, the team averaged 23.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.8 assists. The last time that Curry came face-to-face against Ja Morant and co, he scored an impressive 52 points by shooting 16-31 (51.6%) field goals, 12-20 (60.0%) 3-pointers, and 8-8 (100.0%) free throws. Given the importance of the upcoming game, Curry won’t be alone on the scoring front, as others like Jimmy Butler will also stand out.

Furthermore, when the starters are at rest, the Warriors will have some impressive backups carrying forward the scoring. In light of these updates, the starting lineup of the Golden State Warriors is expected to look like this:

According to RotoWire, Vince Williams will be the starting small forward in light of Jaylen Wells’ absence. On top of that, reserves Luke Kennard and John Konchar could see an increase in their playing time. In light of this update, the starting lineup for the Memphis Grizzlies will look like this:

The Golden State Warriors or the Memphis Grizzlies? Who will you be rooting for? Let us know in the comments.