Steph Curry to miss at least two weeks with sprained left foot ligament
SAN FRANCISCO — So much for getting the dynastic trio back together.
Stephen Curry will miss at least two weeks after suffering a sprained ligament in his left foot during Wednesday’s loss, the Warriors announced Friday.
Curry left for the locker room midway through the second quarter of the Warriors’ 110-88 loss to the Boston Celtics after forward Marcus Smart rolled over his left foot while the two went after a loose ball. Curry was seen limping around the court for a minute before he left the game and never returned.
An MRI on Curry’s foot after the game reportedly did not reveal a fracture or major damage to the ligaments.
Golden State will be without Curry for its home game against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, and he’ll be sidelined for the Warriors’ crucial five-game East Coast road trip that includes two back-to-back games.
Curry, who will miss at least seven games, will be re-evaluated April 1. At that point, the Warriors will have five regular-season games remaining, with the playoffs scheduled to start April 16.
After practice Friday, coach Steve Kerr said he was “relieved” to hear Curry’s injury was not as severe as initially feared.
“We’re hoping that he’s back for the playoffs and maybe even back for a couple of games before the playoffs,” Kerr said. “We’ll see how it all goes, but the mood of the team is really strong.”
Curry’s injury is a big blow to a team that seemed to be rounding the corner after reuniting its three stars just one game prior.
Both Draymond Green and Klay Thompson missed significant time this season due to injuries. Monday’s 126-112 win over the Wizards marked the first time Curry, Green and Thompson took the court together in 1,005 days.
In total, the three have played 11 minutes together over the last two games.
To make matters worse, the Warriors’ presumed starting cast of Curry, Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Green and Kevon Looney have yet to play a game together this season.
“That’s just part of it,” said Kerr, who’s been forced to shuffle the lineup all season because of injuries. “Every year is going to be different, you hope for perfect health and you rarely get it. And so you adapt as you go, and we have a really good, deep roster and a lot of guys have stepped up and helped us win games this year, so there’s no reason why we can’t continue that trend.”
No one can fully replace Curry’s scoring, ballhandling and leadership abilities, though Green and Thompson will help fill the void of his absence. Other players, like Jordan Poole and Wiggins, also will need to contribute more.
“We just have to pick up the slack and let Steph get healthy,” Thompson said. “That’s what most important is having him when the game’s on the line come playoff time.”
Said Wiggins, “Everyone’s got to step up collectively and just got to play for each other. We have the talent to still compete at a high level and beat anybody.”
The Warriors are in the midst of a heated battle for playoff seeding. They’re currently the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference – one game behind the second-seeded Grizzlies.
Wiggins said the team is looking forward to ending the season strong even if it has to do it without its most reliable scorer.
“This is what we’re preparing for and just got to finish strong to give us that momentum pushing into the playoffs,” he said.
Injury updates: Moses Moody didn’t practice with the team after leaving Wednesday’s game with a right shoulder injury. Kerr said the rookie guard didn’t suffer any structural damage to his shoulder and is day-to-day.
Meanwhile, Nemanja Bjelica and Wiggins all practiced Friday and could be available to play in Sunday’s game. Bjelica and Wiggins missed Wednesday’s game because of illness and Gary Payton II has been sidelined for about two weeks with an injury to his left knee.