SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry appears to have avoided a serious ankle injury after an awkward landing during the team’s loss to the Chicago Bulls last Thursday. Curry has not played in either of the Warriors’ two games since, however, and is expected to remain sidelined vs. the Mavericks on Wednesday.
“We’ll reassess (Tuesday), but I don’t expect him to play in Dallas,” Golden State head coach Steve Kerr told reporters after Monday night’s win against the Spurs.
Curry appeared to roll his right ankle on a move to the basket late in the fourth quarter. He limped around the court afterward in an attempt to walk it off, but eventually exited the game and went straight to the locker room with just under four minutes left in the game.
Curry’s absence was felt down the stretch against Chicago, as rookie Brandin Podziemski failed to convert a point-blank layup attempt that would have tied the game with seven seconds left. The final game-winning attempt from half court was missed by Lester Quinones, who was inserted in Curry’s place.
The Warriors had been one of the hottest teams in basketball before Curry’s injury, going 14-4 in 18 games from Jan. 30-March 1. During that stretch, they’ve had the fourth-best net rating in the NBA and the fifth-best defense, with Curry averaging 26 points, five assists and five rebounds on 45/41/89 shooting splits. Counting the loss against the Bulls, the Warriors have gone 1-2 since his injury.
Given Curry’s history, an ankle injury always elicits worrisome deep breaths from anyone associated with the organization. Kerr recently said he felt Curry was fatigued after a rough shooting stretch, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see Curry held out as a precaution, even if the injury turns out to not be severe.
“We’ve been in this position before where he has had time off, and we’ve just got to do it collectively,” Klay Thompson said of Curry after Thursday’s loss. “I know he’ll be ready to go when he does come back, whenever that is. We just want to wish him a speedy recovery, and to take his time.”
