Stephen Curry will participate in play-in tourney for Warriors if he's able, coach Steve Kerr says

DALLAS (AP) — Stephen Curry will be available for the play-in tournament if his ailing right knee allows.

Golden State coach Steve Kerr dismissed the notion that the Warriors would sit their superstar without a guaranteed spot in the playoffs.

Kerr said before Golden State's 137-131 overtime victory at Dallas on Monday night that Curry's planned participation in practice a day earlier was put off by the medical staff. A six-game road trip ends against the Mavericks, and the Warriors will decide what's next for Curry after they get home.

“It’s all just part of the rehab and all the different testing he does,” Kerr said. “Just pushed back a day or two.”

The Warriors are in 10th place in the Western Conference, and if they finish the season in that final spot in the play-in tournament, they would have to win two road games to make the playoffs.

Curry hasn't played since Jan. 30 as he deals with patella-femoral pain syndrome and bone bruising in the knee. Golden State is 23-16 with Curry and 11-22 without him this season.

The win over the Mavericks was just the second in the past 10 games for the Warriors, who are 7-15 since Curry's latest injury. Golden State guard Moses Moody exited late in OT with an apparently serious left knee injury.

“We’re not chasing a play-in berth. We are squarely in the play-in no matter what we do,” Kerr said. “Bottom line, if Steph is healthy, he’s going to play because that’s what we’re here for. The chance to get into the playoffs is a big deal for us, big deal for Steph.”

At the same time, Kerr said if there's any risk of longer-term damage to the knee, Curry won't play. The 38-year-old leads the Warriors in scoring at 27.2 points per game.

Kerr deflected the question of whether Curry was disappointed that his return to practice was put off at least two more days.

Golden State had initially hoped he would return right after the All-Star break, and Curry sat out the All-Star Game this year.

“It’s been a long haul,” the coach said. “He’s dying to get out there, for sure.”

This story was corrected to show the Warriors are 23-16 when Stephen Curry plays, not 23-17.

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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry wears street clothes while standing near his team's bench during a timeout against the Dallas Mavericks in the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, March 23, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry, left, greets Brandin Podziemski at the end of an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks Sunday, March 15, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry reacts from the bench during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Friday, March 13, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

DENVER (AP) — A Frontier Airlines plane hit and killed a pedestrian on the runway of the Denver International Airport during takeoff, airport authorities said, sparking an engine fire and forcing passengers to evacuate.

The plane, on route from Denver to Los Angeles International Airport, “reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 p.m. on Friday," the airport's official X account wrote.

A spokesperson for the airport said the pedestrian, who jumped a perimeter fence, has died. They said the unidentified person was hit two minutes after entering the airport. The person is not believed to be an airport employee.

“We're stopping on the runway,” the pilot tells the control tower according to the site ATC.com. “We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.”

The pilot tells the air traffic controller they have “231 souls” on board and that an “individual was walking across the runway.”

The air traffic controller responds that they are “rolling the trucks now" before the pilot tells the tower they “have smoke in the aircraft. We are going to evacuate on the runway.”

Frontier Airlines said in a statement flight 4345 was the one involved in the collision and that “smoke was reported in the cabin and the pilots aborted takeoff.” It was not clear whether the smoke was linked to the crash with the pedestrian.

“The Airbus A321 was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members,” the airline said. “We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities.”

Passengers were then evacuated via slides and the emergency crew bused them to the terminal. The airport spokesperson said 12 passengers suffered minor injuries and five were taken to local hospitals.

Denver Airport said the National Transportation Safety Board had been notified and that runway 17L, where the incident took place, will remain closed while an investigation is conducted. It is expected to open later today.

The pedestrian death came a day after a Delta Air Lines employee was killed while on the job at the Orlando International Airport. In a statement, the airline said the employee was killed Thursday night without providing details of the incident nor the name of the employee.

“We are focused on extending our full support to family and taking care of our Orlando team during this difficult time,” the airline said. "We are working with local authorities as a full investigation gets underway to determine what occurred.”

FILE - A Frontier Airlines jetliner taxis down a runway for take off from Denver International airport on Nov. 25, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)