Stephen Curry left the arena during 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 told him the tweak to his side was an injury he had never felt before. Kerr admitted to a level of franchise anxiousness while he awaited the test results.
“Concern is high,” Kerr said. “But I have no idea the extent.”
Curry hobbled off early
Curry began grabbing at his right side a few minutes into the game. He tried to play through the pain while glancing repeatedly 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 headed to the locker room in obvious discomfort, followed by Drew Yoder, a key member of the team’s medical staff.
Curry stayed in the locker room for a check-up to close the first quarter. The team then officially ruled him out with right abdominal soreness early in the second quarter.
The Warriors trailed 19-10 when Curry exited. They clawed back to tie the game but ultimately lost by seven points. The defeat snapped an eight-game winning streak that Curry had spurred. He entered Wednesday averaging 30.6 points in 28.6 minutes per game.
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 is the latest blow to an already thinned Warriors side. 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 Curry loss carries the most weight for an offence and organisation that have revolved around him for nearly two decades.
Green backs the team to cope
Last season, the Warriors slumped to a 13-26 record in the 39 games Curry missed. This season, they are 1-1 without him and 8-4 overall, which gives Green belief that the team is better equipped to survive 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 in San Antonio on Friday night.