Stephen Curry expected for Game 4

Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry's ankle has improved and heis expected to play in the team's Game 4 contest against the Houston Rockets on Sunday, coach Steve Kerr said Saturday at practice.

"I would expect Steph to play," Kerr said. "He scrimmaged today; we went full-court 5-on-5. He didn't have any pain this morning or after the workouts. So we're expecting him to play, but we'll see how he is [Sunday] morning."

Curry missed Games 2 and 3 after spraining his ankle in the opener of this Western Conference first-round series. The Warriors and Rockets split the two games Curry was out, and Golden State leads the series 2-1.

"It's not pain. It's like soreness that comes along with all that my ankle's been through," Curry said Saturday. "It's kind of to be expected and I see it as, this is kind of my playoff thing. Everybody has something they're dealing with in some way shape or form.

"It's stable ... no swelling or anything, so I can do everything I need to do."

The guard had said he wanted to play in Golden State's 97-96 loss to Houston on Thursday, but Kerr had said "it wasn't worth the risk."

"It's tough," Curry said. "It's the playoffs, man, it's what you want to be ready for and you see your guys out there fighting, doing what they need to do to help us get wins. I want to be out there with them and enjoy that atmosphere. So, hopefully Game 3 was the last one I'll miss."

Information from ESPN staff writers Ethan Sherwood Strauss and Calvin Watkins contributed to this report.