Stephen Curry has put himself at "50-50" to play in the Golden State Warriors' second-round series opener against the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday.

Curry has been dealing with an MCL sprain in his left knee and has not played since March 23, however, he participated fully in Golden State's practice on Thursday.

And he told the media on Friday that he has been increasing his intensity in practice and playing five-on-five.

"My knee feels pretty good," Curry said. "As I try to think about getting back not just into game shape, my normal minutes I usually play, but on top of that we're talking about the playoffs, the second round. Against a team like New Orleans, you have to be ready. That's the conversation that is going on."

Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry, an assistant coach with the Warriors from 2014 to 2015, said his team has been preparing for Curry to play.

“At some stage, he’ll play," Gentry said. "If he does play [in game one], we'll already have everything we would do if he's in the line-up. If he's not, obviously, we've covered that, also."

Curry, who won the MVP in 2015 and 2016, appeared in 51 games for the Warriors this season. He shot 42.3 percent from three-point range and averaged 26.4 points per game.

Golden State defeated the Spurs in five games to advance to the second round. The Pelicans swept the Portland Trail Blazers in their first-round series.