Warriors HC Steve Kerr says ‘concern is high’ on Stephen Curry’s injury after loss to Rockets appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Golden State Warriors‘ five-game road trip is off to a rocky start, and it has little to do with their 115-108 loss to the Houston Rockets. All eyes are on the status of Stephen Curry, who is set to get an MRI after leaving Wednesday’s game with right abdominal soreness.
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“We haven’t heard anything about the results (yet),” head coach Steve Kerr told reporters postgame, explaining that Curry told him he felt something tweak in his abdominal area and that it was the first time he’s had an injury of this nature, before leaving the arena after halftime to undergo an MRI.
“Concern is high, but I have no idea the extent of the injury… I just saw him holding his side and tried to get him out (of the game) as quickly as I could.”
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Kerr did not know when exactly, where, or how Curry’s suffered his injury in the six short minutes he was out on the floor, but the Warriors’ all-encompassing superstar looked labored early into the game before going to the locker room after the first timeout at the 6:25 mark in the first quarter.
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And though Golden State rallied after he left, with Yaxel Lendeborg’s 25 points and 10 rebounds and Brandin Podziemski’s 22 points, six rebounds, and four assists picking up the slack, the Dubs ultimately ran out of firepower to overcome Houston’s depth and defense.
It’s an obviously tough blow to the Warriors as the 38-year-old point guard has been the engine behind their early-season success. Curry entered Wednesday’s contest averaging 30.6 points, 4.3 assists, and 4.1 rebounds on 50.3% from the field and 45.7% from the 3-point line, having guided the Dubs to an eight-game winning streak before the Rockets brought it to a close.
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While everyone waits with bated breath for the results of Curry’s MRI, it seems that Curry himself believes he will be alright, as shooting guard Will Richard shared that he told his teammates at halftime that he was alright.
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“We talked to him at halftime,” Richard said. “He made sure to let everyone know he was okay.”
What that means for his return timetable remains to be seen. Golden State has four more games on this road trip in the span of seven nights, with a date with the San Antonio Spurs on Friday in less than 48 hours. Knowing the Warriors’ history of playing it safe when it comes to players returning from injury, combined a brutal Dallas-Memphis back-to-back on the 18th and 19th, it’s highly likely Curry misses a good portion of the remainder of this road trip, if not all of it.
But beyond potentially losing their franchise player for at least the short term, Curry’s injury blunts an already depleted Warriors roster.
With the injured Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody still far away as they rehab their serious leg injuries, Kristaps Porzingis having stepped away from basketball, Brandon Williams out for at least a week with a mild hamstring strain, and Gary Payton II managing knee inflammation, Golden State’s now down to just nine healthy rostered players (12 counting their three two-way guys).
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To put it another way, the Warriors have over $144.1 million in salary hampered by injuries, which doesn’t even account for how Richard is dealing with a UCL tear in his left thumb.
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Regardless, Golden State will have to forge ahead with their remaining healthy players as they look to build on their healthy 8-4 record moving forward, with the rookie Lendeborg and rising Podziemski becoming all the more important.
“The spirit of this team is better. We’re more certain on who we are and what makes us a good team,” Draymond Green said when asked if he feels this year’s Warriors are better equipped to stay afloat without Curry.
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“That puts us in a better position to be successful without him as opposed to where we were last year. And then, obviously, Yax (Lendeborg), having a guy who you can still give the ball to and create an advantage. BP is playing a lot better. With the growth of BP (Podizemski) and the growth of our young guys, incorporating Yax, who’s showing to be a great young player in this league – it definitely puts us in a better position.”
Related: Warriors’ Charles Bassey calls out Marcus Smart’s ‘fake toughness’ after altercation
Related: Charles Barkley is loving Warriors HC Steve Kerr’s Yaxel Lendeborg approach
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
