Steph Curry to play tonight vs. Bulls

For the second time this year, Golden State Warriors star point guard Steph Curry will play both ends of a road back-to-back. One day after the Warriors got obliterated by the Milwaukee Bucks, Curry will try and right the ship against the Chicago Bulls, as his co-stars Klay Thompson and Draymond Green rest (the former for obvious reasons, the latter due to a lingering quad injury). Gary Payton II is also out.

Coach Steve Kerr has made it a priority to not wear out his two-time MVP this year, which has resulted in Curry sitting out of the second game of a road back-to-back on three occasions this season. The lone exception came on December 13 and 14, when Curry played against both the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks while chasing the all-time three-point record, which he accomplished at Madison Square Garden.

The Dubs are on a bit of a skid, having lost four of their last five games, which might be part of why Kerr has decided to suit up Curry against the Bulls, one of the league’s top teams. Curry also played fewer than 30 minutes during the blowout loss to Milwaukee, and is mired in a bit of a shooting slump (10-for-45 from three-point range over his last five games), so those may be factors as well.

It will be a very tough game for the Warriors, who then conclude a brutal four-game road trip on Sunday when they face the Minnesota Timberwolves. After that, life gets a bit easier, with seven straight games played at the Chase Center in San Francisco.