Warriors guard Stephen Curry will miss last 10 regular-season games and possibly start of playoffs after spraining knee.
MRI shows Grade 2 MCL sprain, but Kerr says ‘it could be a lot worse’
OAKLAND >> The Warriors have a significant crack in their championship foundation. Yet, they do not believe that foundation has shattered.
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.”
After all, 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.
“There’s no reason why we can’t go out, get on a hot streak and go into the playoffs in a good frame of mind and win games and win series,” Kerr said. “Hopefully, we’ll get Steph back somewhere along the way and do everything we set out to do.”
What the Warriors are set out to do: obviously defend their NBA championship. The Warriors (5418) will strive to reach that goal with the strong likelihood they cannot surpass the Houston Rockets (58-14) for the top seed in the Western Conference. They appear locked into the No. 2 spot, considering their 10-game lead over the third-place Portland Trail Blazers (44-28).
The Warriors have downplayed their place in the standings, citing their long-term health to their stars as a bigger priority. Even with Curry’s absence hurting those efforts, the Warriors sense their other All-Stars will soon help.
Warriors forward Draymond Green plans to play Sunday against the Utah Jazz (41-32) at Oracle Arena after missing Friday’s game because of a pelvic contusion. Kerr said Durant will return for a home game either Tuesday (Indiana) or Thursday (Milwaukee) after sitting the past four games with a rib injury. Kerr said Warriors guard Klay Thompson will return shortly after Durant’s return as he continuously rehabs his fractured right thumb, an injury that has kept him out for the last five games.
Kerr also expects Nick Young (right knee) and Patrick McCaw (lower back contusion) will be available, though seldom-used guard Omri Casspi (right ankle) is listed as doubtful.
“I think it’ll make everybody stronger,” said Warriors
guard Quinn Cook, who will start in Curry’s place until further notice.
The Warriors have a body of work this season that strongly suggests they can thrive without Curry, at least for a while. They went 9-2 while Curry rehabbed from a sprained right ankle in December,
Through their first 12 games in December, the Warriors led the NBA in several defensive categories per game, including blocks (8.4), defensive rebounds (36.4) and opponent fieldgoal percentage (41.7).
During Curry’s absence, Durant averaged 28.8 points while shooting 46.5 percent from the field. Those numbers mark a slight increase from Durant’s regular-season averages in points (26.6).
“We took away the easy stuff, Kerr said. “We made it hard on teams. We relied heavily on Kevin. Good formula.”
Still, the Warriors are
mindful that their championship aspirations center on Curry.
He had just returned Friday after missing the previous six games with a right ankle injury. Curry also has suffered a right ankle injury four times this season, three times because he stepped on another players’ foot and another time after slipping on the team’s practice floor during a morning shootaround. Curry also had a Grade 1 MCL sprain in his right knee in the 2015-16 season.
That injury sidelined him for four playoff games and seemed to hamper him during a postseason that ended with the Warriors squandering a 3-1 series lead to Cleveland in the Finals.
Yet, Kerr downplayed whether the 30-year-old Curry has suddenly met Father Time and should no longer attack the basket aggressively.
“You want him to become me, like a spot-up
shooter that shoots four times a game?” Kerr asked, rhetorically. “Maybe when he’s 40. When you think about last night’s injury, it had nothing to do with being in the paint.”
Curry’s injury has everything to do with the Warriors losing some grip on holding onto the Larry O’Brien trophy, though.
Yet, the Warriors remain adamant Curry’s eventual return, their other All-Stars and their experience can help them keep a tight grasp on the championship hardware.
“A totally different challenge. Suddenly our plays don’t work quite as well. We don’t seem as smart as coaches,” Kerr said. “But the main message is to stay consistent. The message is to compete, defend, take care of the ball and do everything you can with the awareness it’ll be harder. But we can still score.”
And in the Warriors’ mind, they can still win.