Getty Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry reacts during a game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
After showing signs of life late last month and into the early part of December, the Golden State Warriors are suddenly back where they were when everyone thought the sky was falling. Specifically, they’ve hit sub-.500 status once again with Wednesday’s 125-119 loss to the Indiana Pacers.
Moreover, their league-worst road record now stands at 2-13, a practically unthinkable mark for a title-defending team that has retained all of its most important players.
As bad as all of that sounds, however, the biggest blow of the night — and the Dubs’ first real falling-sky moment since Draymond Green lit up Jordan Poole in camp — came during the third quarter in Indy when Warriors cornerstone Stephen Curry was forced out of the contest with an injury.
While attempting to pry the ball from the hands of a driving Jalen Smith on the help side, Steph appeared to tweak his left shoulder, necessitating his removal. Now, Dub Nation waits with bated breath for an official update.
Coach Kerr Sounds Off on Steph’s Injury
Steph went to the locker room after appearing to injure his left shoulder on this play
During his postgame media availability, Kerr didn’t have much to say about the status of Steph’s shoulder. Considering his positive tone with other recent injuries, though, he spoke volumes with everything that wasn’t said.
“He’s gonna get an MRI tomorrow,” Kerr said of Curry’s next steps. “He was ruled out midway through the fourth. Training staff told me he wasn’t gonna play the rest of the night and we’ll see how he is tomorrow.”
The Warriors play-caller didn’t have any solid information on Steph’s pain level or the precise nature of the injury, but noted that the eight-time All-Star looked to be staying positive amid the uncertainty.
“I just checked in with him briefly, but haven’t had a chance to go into detail…” Kerr added. “Steph’s always a guy with a great outlook on life. So, he’s in good spirits and we’ll hope for the best.”
When Curry made his exit, he was having one of his best games of the season to date, which is saying something when one considers his status as an early MVP candidate. In 30 minutes of play, Steph dropped 38 points on 11-of-19 shooting, hitting five triples and adding seven boards and seven assists in the process.
Entering the Pacers game, Curry was averaging 29.6 points, 6.8 assists and 6.6 rebounds per outing with shooting splits of 50-43-91.
Expert Provides Potential Injury Timelines
Dr. Nirav Pandya is well-known to Bay Area sports fans for providing regular injury analysis on 95.7 The Game. In the wake of Steph’s injury against the Pacers, he chimed in with some possible diagnoses and recovery timelines.
Tweeted Pandya:
“If this was a shoulder subluxation, RTP for NBA players is ~ 3.6 weeks. Shoulder dislocation is ~ 7.6 weeks. Obviously Curry could have another injury instead (muscle strain or stinger) which would be quicker. Just some timelines. Non-dominant arm helps.”
Pandya further noted that Steph’s MRI would rule a shoulder subluxation or dislocation in or out.
In any case, the Warriors will be back on the court on Friday night against the Philadelphia 76ers. Tip-off from Wells Fargo Center will be at 4:30 pm PT.
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Warriors Coach Provides Grim Update After Steph Curry Injury Scare