The Golden State Warriors appear close to welcoming superstar guard Steph Curry back to the lineup. While the face of the franchise has been out for the past three games since suffering an ankle injury, Curry recently participated in a scrimmage with the franchise’s G-League affiliate. In a press conference with reporters following the Dubs loss to the Mavericks on Wednesday night, head coach Steve Kerr expressed optimism that Curry will be available on Saturday when they face the Los Angeles Lakers.

“Only that he practiced and that everything went well,” Kerr said. “He’ll meet us in LA on Friday, practice there, and see if he’s ready for Saturday… We’re hoping to get Steph back for Saturday.”

The Warriors are currently 34-31 on the season, firmly in position to reach the play-in tournament as the 10th (and final) seed. However, they remain just a game behind the Lakers for the ninth seed and just four games back of the Kings for the sixth seed, which would allow them to avoid the tournament. While jumping four teams in the standings this late in the season is a difficult task, the Dubs were clearly trending in the right direction prior to Curry’s injury.

Jonathan Kuminga’s emergence as a consistent scorer beside Curry has allowed the Warriors to compensate for the inconsistent scoring output from players like Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, and Brandin Podziemski. Meanwhile, Draymond Green has proven to be a stabilizing force for Golden State defensively since returning from his suspension.

Still, as has been the case for more than a decade now, the Warriors lofty goals revolve around Curry. No matter what seed the Dubs end up with in the standings, if they reach the postseason, the presence of a healthy Curry will give them a shot to make a deep playoff run. Despite the injury scare from last week, it seems that the Warriors will still have that opportunity as he nears a return.