A sports physician revealed the biggest concern about Stephen Curry’s injury, and it could spell bad news for the Golden State Warriors in the coming weeks.
Sports doctor Brian Sutterer, MD, believes Curry likely suffered a true abdominal muscle strain, potentially involving the right external oblique, rather than just minor soreness, which could sideline him for anywhere from two weeks up to four to six weeks if it is a higher-grade tear.
Sports Doctor Gives Possible Concern on Stephen Curry’s Injury
Curry sustained the injury during the Warriors’ loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night after fighting through contact and rotating his upper body, putting heavy tension on his right side.
“I think we have to assume this is more of a true abdominal strain,” Sutterer said on a YouTube he posted on his channel. “So I think this is more likely a true abdominal muscle strain rather than just a contusion. If this is an oblique injury on his right side, I would expect the external oblique to be more involved, although the transverse abdominis could also be involved.”
Sutterer also feels that what Curry picked up was something worse than people may think.
“If you lump all abdominal strains together, NBA players miss about two weeks on average,” he said. “If this is specifically an oblique injury or a true tear, which would imply a higher-grade injury, then you can be looking at a much longer absence – somewhere in the four-to-six-week range. Given how quickly Curry was ruled out, I think this is more than just some benign soreness.”
This season, Curry is averaging 27.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game across 10 appearances for the Warriors. Playing 26.3 minutes per contest, the all-time great guard is posting elite shooting splits of 50.0% from the field, 45.7% from 3-point range, and 98.7% from the free-throw line.
These season averages include his brief six-minute appearance against the Rockets, where he scored 3 points before exiting early with the abdominal injury.
Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr Provides Update on Stephen Curry
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr shared that the team’s concern is great after Stephen Curry exited the game against the Rockets due to an abdominal injury.
Kerr confirmed that Curry went to get an MRI after the game. As of the immediate post-game update, the team was still awaiting the results and has not yet announced a timeline for his return.
Kerr noted that Curry mentioned he had never experienced this specific type of abdominal or oblique tweak before.
“[He] says he’s never had it before, and he went to get an MRI tonight,” Kerr said of Curry. “So we haven’t heard anything about the results. “I mean, concern is high, but I have no idea about the extent of the injury.”
“I mean, he was out there for five minutes, so I just saw him holding his side and trying to get him out just as quickly as I could.”
The Warriors hope this is just a minor setback for Curry, as the team has been shorthanded since the start of the season with the injuries of Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody on top of Kristaps Porzingis’ illness.
Sports Doctor Reveals Biggest Concern on Stephen Curry Injury