Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is closing in on a return from injury although he is unlikely to be considered for Friday’s clash with the Charlotte Hornets.

The two-time MVP has missed the Warriors’ last 10 games due to an ankle injury but the reigning NBA champions have coped well in his absence, winning nine of those contests, with Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green stepping up to the plate.

Golden State now lead the way in the Western Conference standings and they are set to be boosted further by the impending return of Curry although coach Steve Kerr has confirmed the 29-year-old is unlikely to feature against Charlotte.

Kerr told reporters: “I don’t think it would make much sense but I think he’s probably going to want to. But it’s more likely he plays Saturday.

If all goes well, I expect him to play Saturday, but even if it goes well, I’m not expecting him to play tomorrow (Friday).”

Kerr is pleased with the way his team have coped in Curry’s absence, particularly the defensive side of their game.

He added: “It will be a little different but I think the attention to detail defensively has been good in part because we knew, without Steph, we weren’t going to have that [offensive] explosiveness game in and game out.”

Golden State are priced at 1.13 to win Friday’s clash with Charlotte who are available at 6.00 to spring a surprise.