Stephen Curry and Celtics defensive-minded guard Marcus Smart wrested for a loose ball, and after a nasty collision, the two-time MVP may not see the court again until the playoffs, a major blow for the Warriors.
The Warriors ended up losing the game 110-88 as Curry played just 14 points and totaled a season-low 3 points. He’ll be out indefinitely with a sprained left foot, but it seems like he’ll be able to return for the playoffs.
The Golden State Warriors will more than likely be without Stephen Curry until the playoffs, and that could cause a sharp drop in the rankings.
Now, the Warriors were the best team in the NBA for the first several weeks, so their spot in the playoffs is all but locked up. That’s not the fear, rather where they stand when the late-April postseason commences is.
With the Warriors the current third seed, they’ll need to keep winning in order to stay above teams that could surge in the ranking, like Denver and Dallas. The Warriors are 3.5 games ahead of the Jazz and Mavericks and behind the top-ranked Suns and second-place Grizzlies.
Keeping that spot in the rankings is not going to be easy without Curry. Last season, the Warriors star missed 9 games, and the team went 2-7 without him on the court, losing 5 of them by double figures and 1 by 53 points.
As for this season, it’s been a similar story.
He’s missed 6 games, and in those matchups, the Warriors have won just 2. Now, there are some differences that should give fans a bit of hope, and they come in the form of Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson.
The Warriors had Poole last season, but he’s improved quite a bit this season and has potential to be the league’s Sixth Man of the Year, recently dropped 30 points. He’s averaging a career-high 17.1 points per game.
In that same game, that Curry did play, Thompson scored 38. With Draymond Green having recently returned, it’ll be those 3 (Poole, Green and Thompson) that’ll be challenged to keep the Warriors afloat in the standings.
The fact that Golden State is tied with Phoenix for the best home record in the NBA makes it even more necessary that they get home-court advantage as long as possible in the playoffs. The Chase Center has been key for Golden State’s success this season.
With Green and Thompson both having dealt with major injuries this season and Poole still relatively inconsistent, the trio must figure it out along with several other role players as the star guard may need several weeks to get back to full strength.