Stephen Curry had an encouraging update for his ankle injury on Sunday, with the Golden State Warriors star saying that he plans to play in Game 2 even though he was forced to miss practice.
Curry was limited to 20 minutes in the team’s Game 1 win over the Houston Rockets after suffering a second-quarter injury, but he still managed to score 24 points and hit five three-pointers. He left the game after rolling his right ankle in the second frame, then returned in the second half but left soon after to have his ankle taped up.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr later said that Curry was in no shape to play at the end of the game, even if it had been close. He also have a cautious outlook for Curry’s injury going forward.
“As far as [Game 2 on] Monday, I’d say Steph is questionable,” Kerr said (via ESPN ). “We will see how he responds the next couple of days and go from there.”
The decision to take Curry out didn’t sit well with the NBA MVP, Kerr added, saying that Curry was “incredulous” when he found out he wouldn’t be in the rest of the game. Kerry stuck by his decision, however, saying he has to plan for a long playoff run.
“I didn’t like the way he was moving when he went back out in the third quarter,” Kerr said. “He wanted to stay in, but he wasn’t moving well, so we weren’t going to play him, regardless of what happened.”
The injury news at first looked bleak for the Golden State Warriors, for some a reminder of the ankle woes that stunted Curry early in his career.
Though Curry was vehement that he would play on Monday, there are still some questions on whether he will be in the lineup. Curry said he would stay out if he was worried the injury could worsen, but doesn’t believe that is the case.
“Right now I don’t see a scenario where I’ll be out,” said Curry. “Obviously, if it’s not right and at risk of further injury or whatnot, that’s the only thing that I think we have to worry about. Pain tolerance and all that stuff, I kind of know what I can deal with on the court, but you don’t want anything more serious to happen favoring an ankle or whatnot. So that’s what we’ll pay attention to the next few days.”
Stephen Curry Says He’ll Play in Game 2 vs. Rockets—”Right now I don’t see a scenario where I’ll be out.” https://t.co/AAazX43Fa6
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) April 17, 2016
Despite his positive update, Stephen Curry is still officially listed as questionable for Game 2. There is some thought that if he’s not fully healthy, Kerr may leave him out until he’s healed completely. The Warriors didn’t seem to need Curry to dispatch the No. 8 seed Rockets, who have drawn an especially difficult matchup in the Warriors. The Rockets had no answer for the Warriors in Game 1 even with Curry out, unable to stop the quicker Warriors team despite trying to go small to keep up with them.
To put Stephen Curry’s 3-point record in perspective: He’s the one at the top. https://t.co/3kIiiw95gR pic.twitter.com/HXyagLao8a
— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 17, 2016
The injury could be a long-term concern for the Golden State Warriors. Stephen Curry has been the heart of the Warriors this year, crushing the all-time three-point record while setting career highs in points and steals per game.
There will likely be more of an update on Steph Curry’s injury early on Monday. The teams are set to tip off Monday night at Oracle Arena for Game 2.
[Picture by J Pat Carter/Getty Images]
