SAN FRANCISCO – Golden State All-Star Guard Stephen Curry will be sidelined due to injuries to his left leg, the team said Sunday, and the Warriors aren’t sure how many weeks he’ll miss.
Curry was diagnosed after an MRI with partial tears to the superior tibiofibular ligament and interosseous membrane in his left leg and also has a lower leg contusion. But Warriors coach Steve Kerr stressed Sunday that the news could have been a lot worse.
“I didn’t know these tapes existed,” Kerr said. “I think the main thing is that he’s out a little bit. We will reevaluate in a few days. And the good news is he’s coming back. We don’t know exactly when, but it’s not an injury that will rule him out for the season. He will come back this season and hopefully sooner rather than later.”
Curry left Saturday’s game against Dallas in the third quarter with 2:01 left after his wrapped left leg – which he originally injured in a matchup against Denver on Thursday – appeared to buckle while defending.
He immediately started bouncing with obvious discomfort, then left the game and didn’t return.
Curry, who is averaging 29.4 points per game this season, will not play against Oklahoma City on Monday. And with the All-Star game two weeks away, it now seems highly likely that Curry might not be there.
If Curry — or any of the other 24 players selected for the NBA All-Star Game — is unable to compete in the February 19 competition, Commissioner Adam Silver will select a replacement. The starters were selected using a formula that included voting from fans, media and NBA players. Reserves were selected by NBA coaches.
Curry has already had a lengthy absence in the season, missing 11 games from December 16 to January 7 with a shoulder injury. The Warriors went 6-5 in those games and have five games left before the All-Star break.
“We just got through a stretch without him… and held our ground,” Kerr said. “We know we can hold our own now. We went through that last year when I think he missed the last 10 games of the season or so and obviously had a great run in the playoffs. We have some experience with that and are confident that we can keep things going and be where we want to be by the end of the year.”
The Warriors, like many teams in the Western Conference, have very little room for error in the playoff chase. Golden State is 27-26 and started Sunday seventh in the West — three games behind third-place Sacramento but just a game ahead of 11th-place Portland.
The top six teams in each conference are guaranteed playoff spots. The teams finishing between seventh and tenth place enter a play-in tournament to determine the numbers 7 and 8 in each of the conference brackets.
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