The Golden State Warriors lost point guard Stephen Curry in the first half of Game 4 against the Houston Rockets on Sunday after he slipped and hurt his knee on this play.
Curry was clearly in pain, and was visibly distraught as he limped to the Warriors’ locker room to be examined.
A distraught Stephen Curry walks back to the locker room pic.twitter.com/husNQifl19
Advertisement— Kenny Ducey (@KennyDucey) April 24, 2016
It was rumored the injury could keep Curry out for the remainder of the playoffs, which would have undoubtedly put a damper on the Warriors’ aspirations to repeat as NBA champions.
Now, it appears as if the Warriors have dodged a bullet. Reports indicate an MRI revealed a Grade 1 MCL sprain in Curry’s knee. He’s expected to miss two weeks at minimum, but could be back during Golden State’s next series, presumably against the Los Angeles Clippers.
BREAKING NEWS: @StephenCurry30 out at least two weeks with Grade 1 MCL sprain. #NBAPlayoffs https://t.co/7gbApL8sbi pic.twitter.com/wS2kPM9nlo
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) April 25, 2016
This is great news for the Warriors, who will likely close the Rockets out on Wednesday night. Shaun Livingston is an incredibly capable veteran who can do an admirable job in Curry’s absence in the Western Conference Semifinals, but expecting him to lead this team to a championship would be foolish. Put simply, the Warriors need Curry back to repeat. And barring an unforeseen setback, he will return.