The Warriors defeated the Timberwolves 111-85 tonight to get their first win since losing Jimmy Butler to a season-ending ACL injury. Following that game, Stephen Curry reassured the Warriors that as long as he is on the court, they still have a chance to win.
But before tonight’s game, Curry was also questionable to play as he had flared up something in his knee that was making him uncomfortable following their last loss to the Mavericks. Yet he still decided to play.
Even during the game, Curry was seen walking gingerly multiple times as an opposing player had also stepped on his toe, which was additionally making him uncomfortable. A troubling sign for the Warriors fans, who cannot afford to lose another star player to an injury.
Subsequently, Curry addressed the issue with his knee during the postgame press conference.
“If everything goes well, yeah. With recovery and all that between the night, the minutes weren’t crazy. So hopefully, you respond well,” said Curry when asked if he plans to play tomorrow night.
“Kind of something flared up yesterday when we came over to get a workout in. It was super weird. I’ve had stuff going on, quads and whatnot, but it was something that I hadn’t felt before. So, I definitely took advantage of the day off to get right, but hopefully that continues,” said Curry on what happened to his knee.
At a time when the Warriors need Curry the most, they also need to avoid putting too much pressure on a 37-year-old star player who could also become prone to injury.
He finished the game tonight with 26 points, seven assists, four steals, and two rebounds while going 7-18 from the floor (38.9%) and 3-10 from beyond the arc (30.0%).
So far this season, Curry has averaged 27.3 points, 5.0 assists, and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 46.8% from the field and 39.8% from the three-point line.
If they lose Curry to an injury, they will virtually have no more offensive options left on the floor, with Jonathan Kuminga also sidelined due to a knee injury. His MRI showed hypertension and a bone bruise on his left knee, and he will be re-evaluated within the coming days.
Therefore, the Warriors need to balance the pressure they put on Curry at this point, since if they lose him to an extended absence due to an injury, their season can be considered over long before the playoffs.
Hence, I anticipate that while Curry’s status is currently TBD, he will most likely not play tomorrow night on the second night of back-to-back games against the Timberwolves.
Tonight’s win has improved the Warriors’ record to 26-21 for the season. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves extended their losing streak to five games and fell to a 27-19 record.
The Timberwolves will be more desperate to snap their losing streak tomorrow, and I expect they should not have the hurdle of Stephen Curry to overcome.
