Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry will likely miss multiple weeks after injuring his shoulder during Wednesday night’s game against the Indiana Pacers. ESPN reporter Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted the news; Curry was scheduled to get an MRI in Philadelphia on Thursday.
Curry was dealing with a sore right knee prior to Wednesday night’s game against the Pacers, and was unsure whether he would play. Curry was injured with about two minutes left in the third quarter as the Warriors tried to rally from a 20-point halftime deficit. His three-point play with 4:16 to go in the third got Golden State within 83-80. When Pacers forward Jalen Smith dribbled toward the baseline, Curry tried to stop him by sticking his left arm out. Smith continued, and Curry’s arm bent back awkwardly. Curry grabbed his shoulder while standing hunched over on the court then walked to the locker room during the next timeout. Prior to leaving, Curry accounted for half of the Warriors’ 54 first-half points and finished with seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said: “The trainers told me midway through the fourth quarter that he wasn’t going to return. I trust their judgment. I only spoke to him briefly after the game, so I haven’t had a chance to talk with him yet.” Curry isn’t expected to speak to reporters again until Friday, when the defending NBA champs visit Philadelphia on the third stop of a six-game trip. Kerr added: “This is a tough stretch of the season and if Steph’s out, it gets tougher for sure. If we’re healthy, I feel like we can beat anybody — I think this team has proven that. We’ve just got to find a way to get there.”
Curry’s injury is just the latest for the Warriors; All-Star guard Klay Thompson missed his second straight game with a right knee injury, and Andrew Wiggins sat out with an abdominal injury. If Curry misses any substantial time, the Warriors will suffer: Said Kerr: “He basically put us on his shoulders for the minutes he was out there. He was getting to the line, finding other people and I thought the guys did great job of battling … Steph’s always a guy with a great outlook on life, so we’re hoping for the best.”
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