Stephen Curry is officially sidelined, and this isn’t good news for the Golden State Warriors. An MRI revealed he suffered an “oblique abdominal tear” during Wednesday night’s 115-108 loss to the Rockets, and he’s going to be re-evaluated in two weeks. This is a gut punch, plain and simple.
The Injury That Just Rocked Golden State
Curry was showing signs of trouble early, grimacing and grabbing at his right side through the first few minutes of that Houston game. You could just feel something was wrong. At the first timeout, with 6:25 left in the first quarter, he walked directly off the floor and headed straight to the locker room with the team’s director of medical services Drew Yoder. He never came back to the court. Curry even left the arena mid-game to get that MRI, although he tried to reassure teammates at halftime that he’d be fine. Man, if only.
Draymond Green pretty much summed up the mood postgame in Houston. “I mean, obviously, when he’s out, it changes a lot,” Green said. “So – s–y. Pretty s–y, actually. But, we have to try to put it together when he’s not out there.” That about covers it, right? Curry’s absence means he’s missing at least six games, and it’s not an easy stretch: at San Antonio on Nov. 13, at New Orleans on Nov. 16, at Dallas on Nov. 18, at Memphis on Nov. 19, then home games against Boston on Nov. 22 and Sacramento on Nov. 25. That’s a brutal run without your two-time MVP leading the charge.
Who Steps Up When an MVP Goes Down?
This isn’t just any star going down. Curry, a two-time Most Valuable Player, was off to “one of the best starts of his 18-year NBA career.” He’s been the engine behind the Warriors’ surprising 8-4 start and their impressive eight-game winning streak. Before he had to leave the Rockets game after just 3 points in 6 minutes, he was averaging 27.8 points in 26.3 minutes per game, rocking insane 50-46-99 shooting splits.
And here’s where it gets even tougher: the Warriors’ depth is already hurting. Backup point guard Brandon Williams is sidelined with a hamstring strain suffered in Monday’s win over New Orleans, and there’s no timeline for his return. So, who picks up the slack? Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg is officially stepping into the spotlight. He’s averaging 21.7 points per game through his first 12 NBA appearances, and the Warriors haven’t been shy about saying he’s already their primary option when Curry isn’t on the floor. Brandin Podziemski is also going to see a lot more volume, and he’s already putting together the best early season of his career. As for Curry’s starting spot, reserve guard De’Anthony Melton looks like the clear favorite.
As Draymond Green put it, “We just gotta figure out a way to keep it afloat.” That’s the massive challenge Golden State faces now.
The Warriors start this rough patch without Curry on November 13th against San Antonio. They need guys like Lendeborg, Podziemski, and Melton to step up big time if they want to stay competitive and weather this storm. It’s going to be a wild two weeks, and frankly, it feels like a lot longer.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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