McCaw’s injury overshadows win over Kings
SACRAMENTO >> The loud thud prompted gasps throughout the arena. The incident signaled more concern about the ability of the Warriors to stay healthy.
The Warriors cemented a 112-96 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday with Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson finally playing together for the first time in eight games. Yet, everything centered on second-year guard Patrick McCaw, who was transported to Sacramento’s UC Davis Medical Center for further evaluation after taking a hard fall with 41.9 seconds left in the third quarter.
“It’s terrifying,” Warriors coach
Steve Kerr said. “That’s all we’re thinking about that he’s OK.”
The Warriors received some encouraging news.
The Warriors said McCaw’s chest X-rays and a CT scan were clear. A source familiar with the situation also told The Bay Area News Group that McCaw regained sensation after experiencing numbness when he landed. The Warriors said McCaw will receive an MRI at a time to be determined. Some of McCaw’s teammates planned to visit him in the hospital.
“It’s a pretty somber mood right now,” Thompson said. “Just because knowing how hard the guy works, how much effort he puts into it and how humble he is, it sucks to see.”
McCaw drove to the basket for a layup and received a hard foul by the Kings forward Vince Carter, which was later determined to be a flagrant foul 1. After the game, Carter addressed the situation with Kerr and his coaching staff.
“I’m not really big into that ‘oh I apologize,’ but I just wanted to say to them it wasn’t like that, and they understand it,” Carter said. “And they shared their words back.”
Kerr initially appeared angry with Carter over the play. But he consoled Carter as they looked at McCaw on the court.
“I didn’t see the replay,” Kerr said. “Vince felt horrible, and Vince felt awful.”
Nonetheless, Durant echoed the thoughts of many when he said, “nobody in our locker room thinks Vince did it on purpose.”
“Vince has never been that type of guy,” Green said. “Freak accident. Things happen. Guys jump. He didn’t touch him much, but if you’re as high as you can jump, you lose your balance easier. I know that was tough on Vince.”
Even if the foul did not appear intentional, McCaw immediately landed on the floor with a hard thud. McCaw, who had nursed a lower back contusion last week, immediately rolled over in pain.
McCaw remained on the ground for about five minutes as Warriors trainer Drew Yoder attended to him. Kerr and his players soon stood nearby. As paramedics eventually came out with a stretcher, players from both teams came together as a show of support. Once McCaw was taken off the court on a stretcher, fans at Golden 1 Center offered a respectful standing ovation. Kings and Warriors players then huddled together.
“Please send up prayers thoughts love to my guy,” Stephen Curry tweeted. “God please heal his body and keep him strong!”
So much for Kerr’s hope that his team can finally become healthy. The Warriors (55-21) are without Curry (MCL sprain in left knee) through at least the first round of the NBA playoffs. Warriors veteran forward Andre Iguodala missed Saturday’s game because of left knee soreness, and is unlikely to play on Sunday against the Suns.
Durant filled Curry’s absence by posting a teamleading 27 points, and he added 10 rebounds and five assists.
After missing the past eight games with a fractured right thumb, Thompson played as if the bandage around his thumb did not affect his shooting. He posted 25 points and was aggressive in both attacking the basket.
Green showcased his versatility in scoring (eight points), rebounding (nine) and playmaking (seven) in extended minutes (34).
Unexpectedly, those developments became an afterthought. All the attention centered on McCaw, who has averaged 4.0 points on 40.6 percent shooting in 16.9 minutes per game this season. The Warriors expressed concern about losing a valuable reserve and, more importantly, the state of McCaw’s well-being.
“I’m not going to talk about the game, obviously,” Kerr said. “It’s not important. What’s important is Patty and Patty’s health.”