The Golden State Warriors are reeling from a five-game losing streak and the latest news regarding the right hand injury of superstar Stephen Curry. Curry exited the game in the last minute after aggravating a quad injury. This announcement came just days after a demoralizing 104-100 home loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night. While reports suggest he escaped with no major injury, his availability for the next few games is unclear.
Curry’s recent injury came during something of an anomaly—an ultra-competitive fourth-quarter finish. In that game, you could see the pain in his eyes as he ran into defenders trying to finish a layup. Things came to a head when he got an eviction notice. That opened the door for a key conversation with Rick Celebrini, the team’s chief medical decision-maker, when they took a timeout. At 35.2 seconds remaining on the game clock, Celebrini waved Curry to the bench—his night had ended.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he was relieved to learn Thompson’s injury was just a quad. As bad as it was, he was somewhat relieved that it wasn’t worse.
“When I heard it was a quad, I was actually relieved,” – Steve Kerr
He continued, “Better than an ankle or a knee.” This can serve to highlight that while the injury is a serious loss, it might have been far more devastating.
The Warriors have struggled defensively in recent games, and both Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler voiced their concerns regarding the team’s effort on that front. The Warriors are 10-10 through 20 games as they sit in the 9 seed. This disappointing performance raises major questions about their talents, most notably with a daunting stretch to come.
In the wake of Curry’s injury, the team must brace itself for upcoming matchups against the New Orleans Pelicans and the Oklahoma City Thunder. With Curry’s condition assessed by Celebrini and his status uncertain for these critical games, the Warriors will need to address their defensive weaknesses and rally together to maintain their competitiveness in the Western Conference.
Moving forward this season, they’ll have to prove they’re able to adjust in ways that hold up if Curry is out. Those defensive lapses should be fixed, even when Johnson rejoins the lineup.
Leave a Reply