Warriors guard Curry makes sure the shoe fits

Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry has played seven games in a row since missing nine with multiple sprains to his right ankle.

Curry, who had offseason surgery on the ankle and rolled it in preseason, went to Beaverton, Ore., to visit his sponsor Nike and get a shoe that could better protect him. Curry spent six hours doing tests, settling on the Zoom Brave shoe.

“Put an insert in there, some orthotics, to make sure it’s fitting my foot and set in the shoe in the right way,” Curry says.

Some teams have held out players even after they have returned from injuries as a precaution with the compressed schedule. General manager Larry Riley doesn’t expect the Warriors to do that with Curry.

“I don’t see it as a long- term problem provided we don’t have more of a recurrence,” Riley says. “Because of his youth and the way we think things are breaking down right now, if he’s ( ready) to play, we’re just going to play him.”

Curry is averaging a careerlow 16.3 points, but his assists ( 6.5) and steals ( 2.2) are highs.

“I got a ways to go. I’m not thinking about it when I’m on the floor, but I’m still a step slow when it comes to pushing off it and trying to go full speed on it,” Curry says.

Deaths in the families:

The New York Knicks will be without forward Amar’e Stoudemire indefinitely after his brother Hazell was killed in a car crash Monday in Florida.

“I know he’s very close to his brother, so my heart goes out to him. He cherishes his family,” coach Mike D’antoni said at shoot- around before the Knicks beat the visiting Utah Jazz 9988. “He does a great job of maintaining all the relationships. It’s just a trying moment for him.”

The Knicks had a moment of silence before the game in memory of Hazell, one of Stoudemire’s four brothers.

New Jersey Nets guard Anthony Morrow missed Monday’s 108- 87 loss to the Chicago Bulls because of the death of his grandmother.

Love to sit:

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love was suspended for two games without pay for driving his foot into the face and upper body of Houston Rockets forward Luis Scola in the Timberwolves’ 10091 home win Saturday. They had had an incident in a game Jan. 30, when a Scola pass hit Love in the groin.

Love said his stomp was unintentional and he had apologized. “I don’t want to be known for that,” he said after practice Monday. “I want to be known as a stand- up guy who happened to make a mistake with a size 19 shoe and just move on. So everybody knows there were no ill intentions there.”

Also:

Orlando Magic guard Jameer Nelson had 15 points and 12 assists in the 107- 102 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Clippers after missing five games with concussion- like symptoms. . . . Neworleans Hornets center Chris Kaman, vs. the Sacramento Kings on Monday, got his first action since Jan. 23, when he was held out to seek a trade. He had 10 points and 12 rebounds in the 100- 92 loss. . . . Knicks guard Baron Davis said a cut to his right elbow, then an infection, again delayed his season debut. Injuries keep finding teammate Carmelo Anthony, out in the first quarter vs. Utah with a strained groin.