Warriors May Not Be Without Two MVPs Much Longer

OAKLAND -- Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, both out of the Warriors lineup Monday night against Sacramento, could return as soon as Wednesday night against the Lakers.

Though each is officially listed as questionable, each participated in a light practice prior to the team's departure for Los Angeles.

A bruised right hand sidelined Curry for the loss to the Kings, but he sounded as if he's willing to play through the discomfort.

"It's still painful, but you kind of have to deal with that as you go, especially with the hand," he said. "There's no real way to protect yourself if you're out there playing. The thing you don't want to do is get it caught in a jersey or something and, with it being in a weak state, have some more damage. That was the concern for (Monday's) game.

"But, hopefully, by (Wednesday), the swelling will be gone and I'll be able to deal with the pain and play."

Curry during practice and post-practice shooting drills wore a light bandage stretching from his right wrist and wrapping around his right ring finger. He said, assuming he is cleared to play, he will wear some type of protection on the hand.

Durant has missed the last three games, and four of the last five, with a sprained left ankle.

"It's still swollen inside the joint, and it's irritating me a bit," Durant said. "I'll just keep getting better every day. I practiced today, so that's good. And we'll see how it feels tomorrow."

Durant injured the ankle Nov. 18 at Philadelphia. He didn't play the next day at Brooklyn but returned last Wednesday to face his former team at Oklahoma City. Warriors coach Steve Kerr has expressed regret about Durant playing, and the veteran forward acknowledged may have misused his influence.

"I probably should have told Coach how I was really feeling," Durant said. "I wanted to play. I wanted to be out there. But it's not a smart move, especially on an ankle. It's something that can get worse."

Because there was significant swelling after the team returned to the Bay Area early Thanksgiving morning, the Warriors training staff declared Durant out of games against Chicago on Friday, New Orleans on Saturday and Sacramento on Monday.

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