The Warriors may have to weather a Steph Curry injury storm
08/03/2024 22:16
It's not awful, but it's not good.
The Golden State Warriors grand experiment of having a fully healthy roster may have ended after less than two games. And while you don't want good health to end in any form or fashion, you really don't want it to end the way it did for the Dubs: with an injury to their best player.
Late in the Warriors 125-122 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night, Steph Curry had a very nasty-looking roll of his right ankle. Curry tried to walk it off, but quickly gave up and limped to the locker room. After the game, Steve Kerr didn't have any updates, though Draymond Green provided a glance behind the curtain.
Draymond Green on Steph Curry, who was not in the locker room during the portion open to reporters: "Spirits are high. We'll see. Think he may get an MRI." pic.twitter.com/sGwWCGmsu2
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 8, 2024
While it seems likely that Curry avoided a major injury, it sure seems most likely that he'll miss some time. Klay Thompson, while optimistic after the game, certainly seemed to be preparing for the temporary loss of his brother in Splash.
Klay Thompson sounds like he is prepping for Steph Curry to miss some time after that ankle sprain pic.twitter.com/q4Skke1Otr
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 8, 2024
In the short term, the Warriors are as well-equipped as they can be to withstand a Curry hiatus. They're healthy elsewhere, save for Trayce Jackson-Davis also rolling his ankle on Thursday (though it looks much more minor, and he returned to the game). Thompson, Chris Paul, Gary Payton II, and Brandin Podziemski have all been playing well lately and, crucially, Moses Moody is playing perhaps the best basketball of his career.
Even more importantly, the Warriors next two games are against the lowly San Antonio Spurs — Saturday at home, and Monday in Texas.
After that it's mixed bag. The good news is that the Warriors have an off-day heavy schedule for a while: After Monday's game in San Antonio, the Warriors only play twice more before the next Monday. The bad news is that those two games are critical road contests against teams they're battling in the play-in tournament standings: the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, and the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.
The Warriors have survived without Curry before, but it's never easy and it's rarely pretty. Hopefully they won't have to weather this storm for very long.
