Curry tweaks ankle as Warriors defeat Hawks
All-star guard pulled in third quarter as precautionary move in 114-109 win.
ATLANTA >> Stephen Curry’s right ankle twisted awkwardly as he stepped on Zaza Pachulia’s left foot underneath the basket.
That initially prompted two reactions following the Warriors’ 114-109 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday. Did Curry seriously injure his surgically repaired right ankle? Why does Pachulia put himself in a position potentially to hurt teammates and opponents?
Curry played coy on the second question, saying, “I don’t know whose foot it was.” Curry expressed confidence on the first question, though.
“Since I’ve been through this plenty of times, I’m not worried about it at all,” said Curry, who maintained he will play on Tuesday against Brooklyn in Oakland. “The one thing we could rule out is it’s not an aggravation of the old injury. That’s obviously a bright spot.”
The Warriors (49-14) showed other bright spots against Atlanta (19-44), despite nearly squandering a 15-point lead. In a gameclinching play, Warriors reserve forward Andre Iguodala stole the ball from Hawks forward Kent Bazemore and finished with a dunk with 5.4 seconds left. Kevin Durant (28 points), Nick Young (16) and Klay Thompson (15) complemented the Warriors’ offensive balance. And the Warriors are tied with the Houston Rockets (48-13) for the Western Conference’s best record.
Most of the focus centered on Curry,
though, for obvious reasons. Curry posted 28 points with stellar shooting from the field (8 of 15), from 3-point range (4 of 9) and from the free-throw line (8 of 8) in only 23 minutes. Though Curry returned in the second quarter after tweaking his ankle in the first, the Warriors sat Curry for the entire fourth quarter for precautionary reasons after seeing him limp.
“He wanted to stay in,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “But we didn’t let him stay in just because of the potential for it to get worse.”
After Curry tweaked his right ankle with 1:22 left in the first quarter, Kerr immediately called timeout. Curry went to the bench for treatment before soon walking to the locker room on his own accord. That only sparked concerns for obvious reasons.
Curry’s health largely could determine the Warriors’ chances to win a back-to-back title. He has had a history with ankle injuries, including missing a combined 13 games this season after spraining his right ankle on Dec. 4 in New Orleans. And the Warriors already had a thin backcourt with second-year guard Patrick McCaw (left wrist) and Shaun Livingston (rest) sidelined.
“I just hope he’s healthy,” Thompson said. “At this point, we just need him healthy. We would rather him healthy rather than him competing out there if he’s not at full strength. We plan on playing for a long time.”
When Curry returned with 7:18 left in the second quarter, he played as if nothing happened.
“It was more about keeping it moving and active,” Curry said. “The worst thing you can do in that situation is sit still and let things tighten up.”
Curry drained his first 3-point attempt. Curry then pulled up for an 18-foot jumper before falling down on the ground and drawing a foul on Hawks guard Dennis Schroder. Moments later, Curry sank the foul shot. He then drained another shot after falling down, this one from 3-point range.
Add it all up, and Curry scored 15 points, while going 5 of 7 from the field, 2 of 4 from 3-point range and 3 of 3 from the foul line during the second quarter.
“I’ve been through this plenty of times,” Curry said. “So I know when to push it and when not to, and be smart around that.”
Curry then opened the third quarter draining another 3-point shot. The highlights in the second half became short lived, though. Curry sat out at the 6:24 mark when Warriors trainer Chelsea Lane informed Kerr that Curry was limping. The Warriors then determined Curry would sit out the rest of the game.
“When I knew both of them were ganging up on me,” Curry said, “I knew I was fighting an uphill battle.”
The Warriors also surprisingly fought an uphill battle against the Hawks, whom Kerr said, “outplayed us most of the night.”
Atlanta’s Bazemore (29 points), Schroder (27), John Collins (16) and Taurean Prince (15) scored in double figures. Atlanta also cut the Warriors’ lead to 111-109 with 20.3 seconds left after completing a 7-0 run. But the Warriors squashed any concern about a loss. So did Curry after tweaking his ankle.
“He’s doing what he always does,” Kerr said. “He was being aggressive and started making shots. Our guys were going to him.”
And for now, Curry remained coy if he will stay in town for the Masters in Augusta, Georgia. Curry also will ice his ankle and receive soft-tissue therapy to avoid any swelling. Then, presumably Curry will play on Tuesday against Brooklyn. By then, Curry might receive his wish.
“Basically their call,” Curry said. “Frustrating, but big picture I understand.”