Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry left the arena in the second half of the team’s 115-108 loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night and went for 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 the team was anxious while it awaited the test results. “Concern is high,” Kerr said. “But I have no idea the extent.”
Curry began grabbing at his right side a few minutes into the game. He tried to play through the pain while repeatedly glancing at the training staff. With 7:22 left in the first quarter, he came off a Draymond Green screen and drained a 28-foot 3-pointer, but he yelled in pain after releasing the shot and signaled toward 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, followed by Drew Yoder, a key member of the team’s medical staff. He stayed in the locker room for the rest of the first quarter. The team officially ruled him out with right abdominal soreness early in the second quarter.
Golden State trailed 19-10 when Curry exited. The Warriors clawed back to tie the game but ultimately lost by seven points, which snapped an eight-game win streak. Curry had fueled that streak, entering Wednesday averaging 30.6 points in 28.6 minutes per game.
At halftime, before leaving for the MRI, Curry spoke to his teammates and told them to focus on the task at hand. He assured them he would get through this latest injury fine.
A Depleted Roster
The injury is the latest setback for a Warriors roster already missing key players. Starting wings Jimmy Butler III and Moses Moody are rehabbing long-term knee injuries. Projected starting center Kristaps Porzingis has stepped away from the team and the sport. Backup guard Brandon Williams strained a hamstring and will miss at least a week.
Still, the loss of Curry carries the greatest impact for an offense and organization 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 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 play the Spurs in San Antonio on Friday night.