Knee sprain to keep Curry out 3 weeks
Warriors guard Stephen Curry will miss the final 10 regular-season games and possibly the opening of the playoffs, the team announced Saturday after an MRI confirmed a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee. Curry was injured in Friday’s night victory over Atlanta when teammate JaVale McGee tumbled into him.
The Warriors ruled Curry out for at least three weeks, which marks the same day the NBA playoffs start (April 14). The Warriors will have clarity on Curry’s postseason availability when they reevaluate him then, but he could return as early as in the first round.
“You also keep it in perspective,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said before the results were available. “It could be a lot worse.”
Curry suffered the same injury as Warriors forward Kevin Durant did last season on a surprisingly similar play that sidelined him for six weeks.
The key difference: Durant also had a bone bruise, while Curry’s right knee remains intact and has no structural damage. Because of that, those around the Warriors and Curry initially expressed optimism he would not miss any games beyond the first round of the playoffs.
Geno Auriemma and the UConn Huskies are in a familiar place — the Elite Eight. Napheesa Collier had 16 points and 11 rebounds to help top-seed UConn beat Duke 72-59 on Saturday and advance to the regional finals for the 13th consecutive season.
UConn (35-0) will face defending national champion South Carolina on Monday night to try and advance to a record 11th straight Final Four.
Duke had only given up an average of 49 points in its first two games of the tournament.
UConn had that by the end of the third quarter, much to the delight of the partisan crowd of 10,658 that took in the Albany Regional. Patriots safety Duron Harmon was busted on Friday trying to enter Costa Rica with marijuana, according to La Nacion.
Harmon, 27, was nabbed at Juan Santamaria airport, where authorities discovered 58 grams of marijuana hidden inside a can of soda in his suitcase.
According to The Costa Rica Star, Harmon was temporarily detained before being sent back to the United States.
The Patriots released a statement on Saturday acknowledging the incident.
“We are aware of the situation involving Duron Harmon Friday night in Costa Rica,” a team spokesperson said. “He has since returned to the U.S. and we are seeking to gain more information. At this time, we have no further update.”
Harmon, a 2013 third-round draft pick, signed a four-year extension worth up to $20 million with the Patriots last year.
The former Rutgers star finished with a career-high and team-high four interceptions. — John Healy Justin Thomas is one match away from reaching No. 1 in the world and having a shot at his first World Golf Championships title.
Thomas made quick work of Si Woo Kim to win on the 13th hole Saturday morning, and then he pulled away from Kyle Stanley in the afternoon by winning three straight holes to start the back nine that carried him to a 2-and-1 victory.
Now he has a clear path — and a familiar one for Bubba Watson — to replace Dustin Johnson at No. 1.
Johnson didn’t win a match this week and will not get any world ranking points. That means Thomas only has to beat Watson in the semifinals Sunday morning to become the seventh American to top the world ranking.