Stephen Curry lasted about six minutes Wednesday night in Houston before grabbing his right side and heading to the locker room. He left the arena at halftime to get an MRI on what the Warriors called right abdominal soreness, and the Rockets went on to win 115-108, as first reported by ClutchPoints.
Steve Kerr didn’t sugarcoat it postgame. “Concern is high, but I have no idea the extent of the injury,” he told reporters, adding that Curry described it as the first time he’s felt an injury like this.
The loss also ended Golden State’s eight-game win streak, the longest active run in the league coming into the night. Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg (25 points, 10 rebounds) and Brandin Podziemski (22 points) kept the Dubs in it, but Houston had too much.
The IAHHM Take
Charlotte’s own has been carrying this team like it’s 2016. Curry came into the night at 30.6 points per game on 45.7% from three, at 38 years old. That’s not a vet managing minutes. That’s an MVP pace.
Here’s the problem: the Warriors were already thin. Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody are still rehabbing, Brandon Williams is out with a hamstring strain and Gary Payton II is dealing with knee inflammation. Per ClutchPoints, Golden State is down to nine healthy players on standard deals, and four more road games are coming in seven nights, starting Friday in San Antonio.
Teammate Will Richard said Steph told the locker room at halftime he was okay. Draymond Green said this group is better built to survive without him than last year’s. We’ll see. Lendeborg has been a revelation, but nobody bends a defense like 30.
If the MRI comes back clean, this is a scare. If it doesn’t, the hot start we wrote about just this week could flip fast.
Your call: Can the Warriors stay above .500 if Steph misses the rest of this road trip?
Source: ClutchPoints
