Steph Curry suffered a right knee sprain after slipping on the court and was forced out of action for the entire second half of the Golden State Warriors’ 121-94 victory in Game 4 of their first round playoff series against the Houston Rockets. According to CSN Bay Area’s Rosalyn Gold-Onwude, Curry was quite emotional when realizing that he couldn’t play in the second half.
Curry came out at halftime-Kerr asked you really ok? Steph couldn't say yes. Steph put his face in his hands, emotional bc he couldn't play.
— Ros Gold-Onwude (@ROSGO21) April 24, 2016
Rosalyn Gold-Onwude also noted that coach Steve Kerr and teammate Draymond Green “felt terrible” for the MVP. Green also told ESPN Radio after the game that Curry was crying in the huddle when he was told he couldn’t play.
It’s certainly not surprising that Curry would be very emotional. Injuries have definitely gotten the better of Curry this series, as he missed all of Games 2 and 3 with an ankle injury.
Fortunately for Curry, this injury appeared to be on his knee and not lower on the leg, so it’s not a re-injury. He’ll have an MRI on Monday.
There is some good news for the Warriors.
First, they don’t play again until Wednesday. So assuming the MRI is okay, Curry will have some time to heal up.
Secondly, Golden State is still up 3-1 in the series, having won relatively easily in Games 1, 2, and 4. Their only loss was in Game 3 in Houston, when Curry didn’t play. In that game, Klay Thompson was mediocre and Draymond Green was terrible. Still, the Warriors lost by only one point.
Lastly, Game 4 was tied at halftime and Golden State outscored the Rockets by 27 in the second half without Curry.
So, while Curry is obviously a great player, the Warriors have clearly demonstrated that they can beat Houston without him. Whether they can beat the rest of the Western Conference is a different issue.
Now, aside from hoping for good news regarding Curry’s MRI, the Warriors are also hoping that the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers have a long series. Golden State would face the winner of that in the second round, and the more time Curry has to heal, the better it is for him and the Warriors.