Getty Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors lost Game 3 of the NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics Wednesday, falling behind 2-1 in the series. Unfortunately for the Dubs, that wasn’t the worst news of the night.
Two-time MVP Steph Curry produced another impressive performance, scoring 31 points on better than 50% shooting from behind the 3-point line and the field as a whole. But his performance was marred by an incident that occurred with a little more than four minutes remaining in the game’s final quarter.
Celtics forward Jayson Tatum missed a jump shot, after which a scrum ensued for the loose ball. Boston big man Al Horford got tangled up with Curry, falling on his lower left leg. The Warriors point guard writhed on the floor in obvious pain, limping when he finally got to his feet.
Curry offered unsettling news about the injury during the postgame press conference, noting that he had re-aggravated the same foot sprain that knocked him out of the final 12 games of the regular season, which coincidentally also happened during a contest with the Celtics.
“I’ll be all right. I got caught underneath Al [Horford]. Obviously there’ll be some pain, but I’ll be all right. Figure out how it feels tomorrow and get ready for Friday,” Curry said.
“Same thing I did … against Boston in the regular season, but not as bad. That’s what it felt like,” he continued. “I’ll see how it responds. Not much other to say, but I don’t feel like I’ll miss a game, though. So take advantage of these next 48 hours and get ready.”
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Warriors’ Chances at 4th NBA Title May Rely on Curry’s Health
GettyPoint guard Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics.
Anthony Slater of The Athletic, who attended the postgame interviews in person, described Curry’s physical condition following the press conference.
Light limp, ginger pace and some grimacing from Steph Curry as he exits the podium and walks out of the arena in Boston near 1 a.m. local. Game 4 in about 44 hours. How his foot sprain responds will dictate state of this series for teetering Warriors.
“Light limp, ginger pace and some grimacing from Steph Curry as he exits the podium and walks out of the arena in Boston near 1 a.m. local [time],” Slater wrote on Twitter. “Game 4 in about 44 hours. How his foot sprain responds will dictate state of this series for teetering Warriors.”
If Curry ends up unable to play, or if he is even hampered to a meaningful degree, it could spell disaster for the Warriors. It is hard to argue than any player on either team has been better than Curry over the first three games of these NBA Finals. He is averaging more than 31 points per game, to go along with five rebounds and nearly four assists each time out.
Despite Curry’s exceptional play, the Warriors trail in the series, their two losses coming by an average of 14 points per contest.
Curry Missed Weeks Last Time He Suffered Foot Sprain
GettyCurry of the Golden State Warriors dribbles past Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics in Game 1.
Curry on Wednesday suffered what he believes to be the same injury that knocked him out for approximately the final month of the regular season. Curry’s first foot sprain occurred during a game against the Celtics on March 16, when Boston point guard Marcus Smart dove for a loose ball and took out Curry’s legs.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr called out Smart the following day, saying he had made a “dangerous play.”
“I thought it was a dangerous play. I thought that Marcus dove into Steph’s knee, and that’s what I was upset about,” Kerr said. “A lot of respect for Marcus. He’s a hell of a player, a gamer, a competitor. I coached him in the World Cup a few summers ago. We talked after the game. We’re good, but I thought it was a dangerous play and just let him know.”
There were no such allegations levied at Horford or any of his Celtics teammates in the aftermath of Curry’s injury Wednesday night. And while the severity of the injury may not equal that of the one in March, its consequences could prove considerably worse with a maximum of just four games left to play before the next NBA champion is crowned.