Stephen Curry left the arena in the second half of the Golden State Warriors’ 115-108 loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night to undergo an MRI on his injured abdomen and oblique.
After the game, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Curry had told him the tweak to his side was an injury he had never felt before. Kerr admitted the club felt considerable anxiety while it awaited the test results.
“Concern is high,” Kerr said. “But I have no idea the extent.”
A painful first quarter
Curry began grabbing at his right side a few minutes into the game. He tried to play through the pain while repeatedly glancing over at the training staff.
With 7:22 left in the first quarter, Curry came off a Draymond Green screen and nailed a 28-foot three-pointer. He yelled in pain after releasing the shot and signalled towards the bench.
The Warriors called a timeout a couple of possessions later. After a brief conversation with Kerr, Curry walked to the locker room in obvious discomfort, accompanied by Drew Yoder, a key member of the team’s medical staff. He remained there to get checked out before the Warriors officially ruled him out with right abdominal soreness early in the second quarter.
Golden State trailed 19-10 when Curry exited. The team clawed back to tie the score but ultimately lost by seven points, which snapped an eight-game winning streak. Curry had driven that run, entering the game averaging 30.6 points in 28.6 minutes per game.
Curry’s message at halftime
At halftime, before leaving for the MRI, Curry spoke to his teammates. He told them to focus on the task at hand and assured them he would get through this latest injury fine.
A depleted roster
This latest setback compounds an already thin group. Starting wings Jimmy Butler III and Moses Moody are rehabbing long-term knee injuries. Projected starting centre Kristaps Porzingis has stepped away from the team and the sport entirely. Backup guard Brandon Williams strained a hamstring and will miss at least a week.
Still, the loss of Curry carries the greatest weight for an offence and an organisation that have revolved around him for nearly two decades. Last season, the Warriors slumped to a 13-26 record in the 39 games he missed. This season, they are 1-1 without him and 8-4 overall, which gives Green confidence that the team can cope in the short term.
“The spirit of this team is better,” Green said. “We’re more certain of who we are, what makes us a good team. I think that puts us in a better position to be successful without him as opposed to where we were last year. Then obviously [Yaxel Lendeborg], having a guy you can give the ball to and he can create an advantage. [Brandin Podziemski] is playing a lot better. … It puts us in a better position.”
The Warriors next play the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night.