Four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry will be sidelined for a “few weeks” after suffering a left shoulder injury late in the third quarter of Golden State’s 125-119 loss at Indiana.
Curry, last June’s NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, was hurt trying to strip the ball from Indiana’s Jalen Smith as the Pacer drove to the hoop.
Curry held his shoulder until leaving the game moments later and was taken quickly to the locker room.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Curry will have an MRI exam on Friday to determine the extent of the 34-year-old guard’s injury.
“We’ll see how he is tomorrow,” Kerr said.
“He’s in good spirits and we’ll hope for the best. 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 finished with game highs of 38 points and seven assists as well as seven rebounds. He scored 27 points in the two quarters, half of the Warriors’ first half total as they trailed 74-54, and finished with his 250th career 30-point performance.
Already sitting with a 14-15 record after a disappointing start to the season, Curry’s injury setback will only make it tougher for Golden State to find much-needed consistency.
Speaking on ESPN’s ‘First Take’, Stephen A. Smith cast doubt over the team’s ability to produce on the offensive end with Curry sidelined.
“I don’t think they can [stay relevant] to be quite honest with you,” said Smith.
“When we’ve seen what we’ve seen so far this season, Steph Curry is head and shoulders the star of this team and his level of play far exceeds that of any of his teammates. He’s averaging 29.6 points on 43 per cent shooting from 3-point range this season he’s been an absolute superstar and everybody else has paled in comparison. I would say the focus would shift to Klay Thompson and what he’s capable of doing and, to a lesser degree, Jordan Poole and what he’s capable of doing. That’s the only thing that has a prayer of offsetting the absence of Steph Curry and I don’t even think that’s going to be good enough.”
