Stephen Curry Will Play vs. Pelicans in Game 2 After Knee Injury

Steph Curry is back.

The Golden State Warriors' superstar point guard has been cleared to return to action in Tuesday's Game 2 contest against the New Orleans Pelicans, according to Chris Haynes of ESPN.

Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reported Curry will come off the bench with Andre Iguodala starting in his place.

It will be his first action since March 8, when he suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain. In his absence, the Warriors have gone just 12-11, though they are 5-1 in the postseason. 

Curry's return for Game 2 was expected. He told reporters after Game 1 that he felt like he could have made his return on Saturday evening.

"If it were up to me, I would have played for about 20 minutes tonight," he said, per Haynes. "The plan is to return Tuesday, but ultimately it's up to the training staff. I feel good."

The Warriors won Game 1 against a dangerous Pelicans team easily, 123-101, and the return of Curry will make them all the scarier. Curry, 30, averaged 26.4 points, 6.1 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game while shooting 42.3 percent from three. While players like Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson held down the offense in Curry's absence, the veteran point guard remains the team's offensive keystone. 

Which makes it terrifying how easily the Warriors handled the Pelicans in Game 1 without him.

The Warriors were always the favorites to repeat as NBA champions and claim their third title in four years, and the return of Curry should solidify that belief. While the Pelicans are no slouch and the Houston Rockets likely await after that—and while Curry will have to battle through rust upon his return—the Warriors are back to full strength.

And that is bad news for the rest of the NBA.