The Golden State Warriors are navigating a complicated moment, sitting at 10-10 and dealing with growing frustration from the stars on their roster. Now they have received the worst possible news: confirmation that Stephen Curry suffered an injury that will sideline him from NBA action for several days.
During Wednesday nightâs matchup against the Houston Rockets, Curry sustained an injury that forced him to leave the game. According to Shams Charania, the Warriors anticipate that Curry will miss around a week â or slightly more â with a quad contusion suffered in that contest. He avoided any major structural damage, and his return will depend on how the quad responds throughout the recovery process.
The games Curry is expected to miss include the Pelicans on November 29, the Thunder on December 2, the 76ers on December 4, and the Cavaliers on December 7 â a date that could mark a potential return, though he will likely be held out as a precaution. After that, Golden State does not play again until December 18 against the Phoenix Suns, giving the star guard additional time to recover fully.
Stephen Curryâs absence is a brutal blow for the Golden State Warriors at a crucial point in the season. This is the stretch where they either stall or start to build momentum, and now they must prove what they are made of without their biggest star. Butler has work to do.
Stephen Curry during an NBA game.
What happened to Curry?
The injury occurred during another Warriors loss to the Houston Rockets in the NBA Cup, a 104-100 defeat that knocked them out of the competition. It also served as a bit of revenge for Houston after last seasonâs playoff battles. Curry exited in the final minutes after taking multiple hard hits throughout the game.
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Curry got banged up repeatedly in an extremely physical matchup, as is typical when these two teams face off. The most concerning moments came late in the fourth quarter: first, when he collided with Amen Thompson, who then fell on top of him, and shortly after when Alperen Sengun crashed into Curryâs legs while diving for a loose ball. Curry was hobbling after both plays, and his limp became more pronounced as the closing seconds ticked away.
Who must step up in Curryâs absence?
Turning to Butler is the obvious solution, but Golden State also needs its role players to elevate their level, especially offensively. The Warriors have been ice-cold from long range. They went 2-for-21 from three in the second half against the Rockets, and while some of those misses came from Curry, Butler, and Draymond Green, the role players have not been stepping up either.
Sharpshooter Buddy Hield has struggled to find his rhythm. There were signs he was breaking out of his slump when he scored 20 points on 4-of-8 from deep in the blowout win over Utah. But scoring zero points and missing all three of his attempts from beyond the arc against Houston suggests that performance may have been an outlier.
Hield is not the only concern. Brandin Podziemski has also endured a rough start to the NBA season. His indecisionâsomething he seemed to overcome late last yearâhas resurfaced. And while his final line against the Rockets looks solid (14 points on 6-of-11 shooting and 2-of-3 from deep), those numbers leave out the difficult stretches he had throughout the game. As the young guard who has spoken most openly about wanting to become the franchiseâs future, the pressure on him only grows.
