After already losing Jimmy Butler to a torn ACL in January, the Golden State Warriors have fallen victim to another devastating leg injury after Moses Moody went down during overtime against the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night at American Airlines Center.
While the full diagnosis is clearly yet to come, the brutality of it was evident as Moody was stretchered off the floor with an injury that's sure to impact next season.
Moses Moody sufferes devastating leg injury in Dallas
The Warriors did come away with a 137-131 overtime win to snap a three-game losing streak, but it mattered little considering the arena was left eerily quiet after Moody went down with a minute remaining.
The fifth-year wing was only just returning from a 10-game absence due to a wrist sprain, and had played spectacularly well in a reminder of his value to a Golden State team that had gone 2-8 without him.
Moody finished with a team-high 23 points to go with three rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks, finishing as a +7 to help the Warriors to overtime after finding themselves down 10 at half-time.
Golden State utilized a 31-9 run between the late third and early fourth-quarter to flip the momentum of the game, but Dallas and No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg responded and had a chance to win it at the end of regulation, only for Naji Marshall's 3-pointer to go awry.
The Warriors finished with eight players scoring in double figures, including 22 points from Kristaps Porzingis as he returned after missing one game with lower back soreness. The veteran center also added seven rebounds and five assists, playing over 29 minutes in the six-point win.
Brandin Podziemski also hit 20 points to go with 10 rebounds and six assists, while Gui Santos added 16 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals in a bench role after Moody took his place in the starting lineup.
Gary Payton II (17 points), LJ Cryer (14 points) and Will Richard (12 points) also scored in double digits off the bench, with the latter two combining to shoot 8-of-10 from 3-point range.
The Warriors nearly cost themselves with another 24 turnovers, but they did punish the Mavericks on the glass with a 17-5 differential in offensive rebounding, helping to lead to 14 more field-goal attempts on the night.
While the win is pleasing given Golden State's recent form, it all pales in comparison to Moody's injury in what continues to be proven as a cursed season for the franchise.