Steph Curry to come off the bench in Game 2

Steph Curry shocked Golden State Warriors fans on Saturday when it was announced that he would be coming off the bench for Game 1 of the first round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets. Curry was on a minutes restriction after missing a month with a foot injury, and it was reportedly his idea (driven in part by how well Jordan Poole had been playing) to ride the pine to start the series.

That’s continuing in Game 2, with The Athletic’s Anthony Slater reporting that the Dubs are sticking with the same starting lineup that they’ve used for the last few weeks: Poole, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, and Kevon Looney.

Curry played 21 minutes and 41 seconds in Game 1 and, after some initial rust, settled in and looked really good. He’ll likely play closer to 25 minutes tonight. With three days off between Game 2 and Thursday’s Game 3, it seems likely that Curry will be healthy and conditioned enough to remove the minutes restriction and rejoin the starting lineup when the series turns to Denver.

In other news, Andre Iguodala, who was listed as doubtful for Game 2 due to neck spasms, will not play.

That could open the door for Jonathan Kuminga to enter the playoff rotation, or it might just mean more minutes for Otto Porter Jr., Nemanja Bjelica, and Gary Payton II.

The Warriors and Nuggets kick off Game 2 from the Chase Center in San Francisco at 7:00 p.m. PT.