Curry to miss game against brother; Looney set to return
One out. One in. Two up in the air.
The Warriors’ topsyturvy season will continue against Philadelphia on Tuesday, when Stephen Curry will miss his third straight game because of a tailbone contusion, Kevon Looney will return from the NBA’s coronavirus protocol, and Eric Paschall and James Wiseman could get cleared from contact tracing.
Getting Looney back will be a boon for the Warriors, who had to play Saturday without an experienced center, and getting Pachall and Wiseman through contact tracing would be a welcome surprise because the big men were expected to be out for another week.
But the most significant
development is that Curry still isn’t ready to return after slamming backward into courtside metal risers Wednesday in Houston. The injury will stress the Warriors’ inconsistent offense and rob the fans of getting to see him play against his brother.
Seth Curry is averaging 12.9 points on 43.2% 3point shooting for the Eastern Conferenceleading 76ers. The teams play again April 19 in Philadelphia, but Warriors head coach Steve Kerr expects Stephen Curry to return well before then.
“It’s not something we’re concerned about (long term), but it’s obviously going to take more time,” Kerr said after Monday’s practice.
According to Kerr, Curry was too sore to practice Monday, but he was able to do some strengthening exercises and movement drills in the training room. Kerr said the team will continue to list Curry as daytoday, and the results without the point guard have been distinctly different.
The Warriors had a seasonbest 368 passes in Friday’s 116103 at Memphis, zipping the ball around in a beautiful display. A night later, in a 111103 loss to the same Grizzlies squad, the suddenly stagnant Warriors shot 34.4% from the floor.
“Hopefully, we can get Steph back soon, but until then, we all have to step up, play out of our comfort zone, and go out there and scrap,” Looney said.
The Warriors’ starting center said he was awakened by a call before Saturday’s game in Memphis, saying that he had tested positive for the coronavirus. A series of subsequent tests came back negative, and Looney was allowed to fly home with the team and practice Monday.
“At first, when you wake up and get news that it was a positive test, I was shocked and concerned, like anybody who gets that news,” Looney said of the falsepositive test. “… It was frustrating not being able to be out there with the guys. Especially on a backtoback, when we were already shorthanded, I really wanted to be out there with the guys.”
In Curry’s absence, secondyear guard Jordan Poole has averaged 25.5 points on 20for36 shooting from the floor and 6for15 3point shooting.
Andrew Wiggins has put up 30 points per game, including a 40point outburst Friday, on 8for16 3point shooting.
“Wiggs has been great,” Kerr said. “I like the way he’s attacking, getting into the paint, and not only scoring, but also kicking the ball out to shooters. He’s had a really good run since the AllStar break and is feeling fresh and strong. That’s good to see his confidence really brimming.”
Looney said of Wiggins: “He’s a guy that we know when the clock gets low and we need a bucket, we can just throw him the ball. He can create for himself and for others. Having him out there gives us a big confidence boost. We know we’ve got a guy who can go get you 30 or 40.”
The Warriors surprisingly could get back another 20 points per game combined from Paschall and Wiseman, who came into contact with a staffer who tested positive for the coronavirus.
Players typically have missed a week in that situation, meaning Paschall and Wiseman would be out until Thursday’s game against Sacramento. But Kerr said the secondyear forward and rookie center could return for Tuesday’s game.
“We are hopeful that everything goes fine with their testing, but they have to complete another couple of tests,” Kerr said.