Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry will miss at least two weeks with a torn oblique, a major blow to a Warriors team that had been riding his hot start.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on X on Thursday morning that Curry has an oblique abdominal tear and will be re-evaluated in two weeks. The Warriors confirmed the diagnosis in a team statement later Thursday, saying an MRI taken Wednesday night showed the tear and that Curry will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Curry got hurt early in Wednesday’s loss to the Houston Rockets. According to ESPN, he began grabbing at his right side a few minutes into the game and tried to play through it. He hit a 28-foot 3-pointer with 7:22 left in the first quarter but yelled in pain after the shot, then left the game for good with 6:25 remaining in the quarter.
Coach Steve Kerr told reporters Curry described the injury as something he had never felt before. “Concern is high,” Kerr said, according to ESPN.
ESPN reported that Curry will miss at least the next seven games, against the San Antonio Spurs, New Orleans Pelicans, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Boston Celtics, Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers. Sports Illustrated noted that the Warriors’ Nov. 22 game against Boston falls inside that window.
The 38-year-old was playing some of the best basketball of his career. ESPN reported he is averaging 27.8 points in 26.3 minutes per game while shooting a career-best 45.7% from 3-point range. The Warriors were 8-4 and had won eight straight before Wednesday’s loss.
Golden State is already short-handed. ESPN said wings Jimmy Butler III and Moses Moody are rehabbing long-term knee injuries, center Kristaps Porzingis has stepped away from basketball, and backup guard Brandon Williams is out at least a week with a hamstring strain. The Warriors went 13-26 in games Curry missed last season, according to ESPN.
A two-week re-evaluation would put Curry’s next checkup around Nov. 26. The team did not give a firm return date.
Sources: Golden State Warriors statement, ESPN’s Shams Charania on X, ESPN, the Associated Press, Sports Illustrated and Bleacher Report.
Photo: “Sunset on the Hoop,” Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0 public domain dedication. Generic image; not a photo of the player or team.
