Steve Kerr gives encouraging update on Steph Curry’s injuries

SAN FRANCISCO– Stephen Curry went to the locker room at the end of the third quarter Golden State Warriors‘ a close 131-124 loss to the Detroit Pistons, and the team later ruled him out because of a “sore right knee.”

With Jimmy Butler is already lost for the season due to a torn ACL, there were fears that Curry’s knee injury could further derail the Warriors’ season if the two-time MVP doesn’t return to the Dubs’ bench. Fortunately for the Warriors, however, Curry’s injury appears to be over it is not expected to be anything big.

“I think it’s good. I don’t think it’s important, but we’ll have news tomorrow,” coach Steve Kerr he said after the game. Kerr noted that it was the same soreness in his right knee that kept Curry out of the Minnesota Timberwolves game earlier this week and said he did not know if Curry would undergo an MRI.

Curry appeared to aggravate a knee injury after an And-1 basket on Ausar Thompson, gingerly walking to the free-throw line after the foul. From the perspective of Warriors forward Guy Santos, Curry has been battling knee inflammation since the first quarter.

“I noticed that Steph was limping a little bit since the end of the first quarter,” Santos detailed. “So I saw him limping, and I remember he did the And-1, but he was just limping before he did the And-1. And I said, ‘Man, you’re strong.’ Can you do it with one leg?”

Regardless, it looks like Curry avoided a significant injury. In the locker room after the game, Curry moved in the same delicate motion, but without ice or wraps around his right knee.

The return of the warrior was short

No curry and obviously, without ButlerThe Warriors came back late in the fourth quarter thanks to a rallying cry from the bench. Santos finished with 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting, while De’Anthony Melton continued his microwave scoring off the bench with 18 points, five rebounds and two steals.

But the Pistons’ size and athleticism ultimately proved too tall to overcome as they pounded the Warriors’ defense throughout the game. And even though Golden State cut the lead to four with 1:19 left in the game, they couldn’t get the stops they needed to give them a chance. MVP candidate Cade Cunningham finished with 29 points and 11 assists, while likely first All-Star Jalen Duran had 21 points and 13 rebounds.

“I loved how competitive our guys were,” Kerr said after the game. They really gave us a chance. That’s a hell of a team, obviously, the number one team in the East. Athletic, tons of size and a great team. We just couldn’t get over the hump.”

The fight, grit and competitiveness were there from Golden State, something they sometimes lack in losses to the top teams in the league. Regardless, the Warriors will have three days off to lick their wounds and prepare for the 76ers coming to town, the final game before the long-awaited trade deadline.

Other remarks

• Draymond Green picked up his 10th technical foul of the season. An automatic one-game suspension is triggered when a player collects 16 technical fouls. But he also became the third player in Warriors history to hit 800 career 3-pointers, joining Curry and Klay Thompson.
• No real update on Jonathan Kuminga’s knee bruise. He’s staying out for now as the Feb. 5 trade deadline approaches.
• Melton’s 18 points were the 14th time he reached double figures this season. 12 of those have come in the last 16 games he’s played.
• With the trade deadline comes rumors, but there seems to be a general understanding among players and locker rooms that those things are out of their control. Melton said it best: “Early in my career, one of my vets told me when a superstar or whatever wants to move, everybody’s on the block. Nobody’s above the program. All you can do is keep working on your game and keep figuring it out. All you need is one team that’s going to love you, and so just your biggest thing to focus on and figure out is your mindset.”