Stephen Curry will miss at least two weeks after suffering an oblique abdominal tear, but sources said Thursday that the Golden State Warriors are bracing for their star to be out closer to a month.
Curry exited Wednesday’s loss to the Houston Rockets with 6:25 remaining in the first quarter and later underwent an MRI.
He began grabbing at his right side a few minutes into the game, trying to play through the pain while repeatedly looking over at the training staff. With 7:22 left in the first quarter, Curry came off a Draymond Green screen and nailed a 28-foot 3-pointer, but he yelled in pain after the release and signaled toward the bench. Coach Steve Kerr said Curry told him the tweak in his side was an injury he had never felt before.
Curry will miss at least the next seven games, against the San Antonio Spurs, New Orleans Pelicans, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Boston Celtics, Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers.
The Warriors (8-4) were down 19-10 when Curry left the game. They clawed back to tie it but ultimately lost by seven points, snapping an eight-game winning streak that had been fueled by a surging Curry. He is averaging 27.8 points in 26.3 minutes per game this season and is shooting a career-high 45.7% from 3-point range. He also is averaging 3.9 assists and 3.7 rebounds.
At halftime, before leaving the arena for his MRI, Curry spoke to his teammates, told them to focus on the task at hand and assured them he would get through this latest injury fine.
A Depleted Roster
This is the latest blow to an already thin Warriors roster. Starting wings Jimmy Butler III and Moses Moody are out rehabbing long-term knee injuries. Projected starting center Kristaps Porzingis has stepped away from the team and the sport entirely. Backup guard Brandon Williams strained a hamstring and will miss at least a week.
The Warriors went 13-26 in the 39 games Curry missed last season. This season, they are 1-1 without him.
Green Sees a Stronger Team
Green believes the team is better positioned to handle the absence.
“The spirit of this team is better,” Green said. “We’re more certain of who we are, what makes us a good team. I think that puts us in a better position to be successful without him as opposed to where we were last year. Then obviously [Yaxel Lendeborg], having a guy you can give the ball to and he can create an advantage. [Brandin Podziemski] is playing a lot better. … It puts us in a better position.”