Whenever you hear 'Stephen Curry' and 'ankle soreness' in the same sentence together, there's bound to be some concern and nerves among Golden State Warriors fans given the 2x MVP's past history.
Curry revealed following Tuesday's loss to the Orlando Magic that he tweaked his ankle last week in San Antonio, adding a new health concern after the 37-year-old recently missed three-straight games due to illness.
Warriors superstar Stephen Curry has a new (albeit slight) injury concern
Curry played through the slight ailment to be his usual effective self against the Magic, finishing with 34 points, three rebounds, nine assists and three steals while shooting 12-of-23 from the floor and 7-of-15 from 3-point range.
Unfortunately for he and the visitors, none of Curry's teammates outside of Jimmy Butler were able to provide much support as the Warriors fell to a 121-113 defeat that snapped what was a three-game winning-streak.
Curry's status for Wednesday's second night of a back-to-back against the Miami Heat remains up in the air, particularly following the comments alluding to his current ankle issue.
"Sore ankle a couple of games ago and a little bit tonight. Those are the things you're just trying to play through and try to figure out how to continue to build momentum," Curry said after the loss to the Magic.
The offensive workload on Curry has to be a continual concern for Steve Kerr and Golden State, with the veteran guard now going for 46, 49 and 34-point performances in three of his last four games while playing at least 33 and a half minutes in each of those three outings.
This time last year the Warriors were completely lacking in a secondary player to run the offense through. Now they at least have Butler who dropped 33 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals on Tuesday, but there's still a lack of consistent options beyond the star duo that leaves a heavy burden on them.
Compare that to the Los Angeles Lakers who were able to compile a 10-4 record prior to LeBron James' return against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday. They were able to thrive thanks to the offensive wizardry of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, with James recording an 11-point, 12-assist double-double in a 140-125 victory on his return.
Where would the Warriors be if Curry were to miss 10+ games? Their season might be shot to pieces, such is the competivie nature of the Western Conference. That's why this latest ankle concern, albeit minor, is already going to elicit some anxiety among fans and even potentially those within the franchise.