Getty Chris Paul #3 of the Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors were dealt with another big blow after losing Chris Paul to a fractured left hand in their hard-earned 113-109 win over the league’s worst team Detroit Pistons on Friday, January 5, at Chase Center.
“That’s tough,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters of Paul’s untimely injury. “I feel so bad for Chris. I know he’s had a couple of hand surgeries before, I believe. Maybe it was on the other hand. So I’m holding it and instantly was worried. Just got the word after walking off the floor. I feel terrible for Chris and obviously, guys will step up and be ready to play. We’ve got to hold down the fort without him.”
Paul fractured his left hand in the third quarter when he collided with Pistons guard Jaden Ivey on his way to grab a rebound off his miss. Paul left the game and did not return.
Chris Paul went to the locker room after appearing to injure his hand on this play
It will be the fifth hand surgery for the 38-year-old Paul in his NBA career. The timetable for his return is still unknown.
“It’s going to be tough,” Kerr said of navigating the season without Paul. “Chris is an all-time great and he’s fit right into our team and made life so much easier not only on Steph [Curry] but he’s really kind of captained that second unit which has been a real strong suit for us this year. So, we’re going to miss him in both lineups.”
Collective Effort
Without the 12-time NBA All-Star guard, Kerr plans to spread out his playing time to rookie Brandin Podziemski, Corey Joseph and Moses Moody.
“We won’t replace all those minutes with one guy,” Kerr said. “We’ll probably spread them out.”
Paul is the Warriors’ leader in assists (7.2) and steals (1.1) to go with 8.9 points and 3.8 rebounds in 27.6 minutes this season. His 1.2 turnovers per game is the fewest among Warriors players playing above 20 minutes.
Moses Moody Returns to Rotation
Paul’s absence brings an opportunity for disgruntled swingman Moses Moody to get back into Kerr’s rotation.
“I’m excited to get Moses back out there,” Kerr said. “I thought he was great [Friday night]. He brought a lot of energy. [It was] great to hear the fans chanting his name. He’s a fan favorite for a reason. He plays hard and being out of the loop the last few games has been tough on him but he always stays ready so I’m excited to get him back.”
Moody was scoreless in 5 and 1/2 minutes. It was his first game since an 11-point outing in a December 28 loss to Miami.
Joe Dumas of 95.7 “The Game reported on January 4 that Moody’s camp is frustrated about his lack of consistent role.
Steph Curry Delivers in Crunchtime
Curry saved the day for the Warriors from what could have been an embarrassing loss to the last-placed Pistons barely 24 hours after a deflating loss to defending champion Denver Nuggets.
The Warriors superstar uncorked 12 of his 26 points over the final 92 seconds with a pair of clutch 3-pointers after the Pistons grabbed the lead on Bojan Bogdanovic’s 3 with 1:41 left.
Curry felt sorry for Paul in what he called a freak injury.
“I guess in the short term hopefully he can be on the bench and be vocal,” Curry said.