The Golden State Warriors’ hopes for a late-season surge took a gut-wrenching blow on Saturday night, as superstar Stephen Curry struggled mightily in a 118-108 home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. The two-time MVP shot a dismal 4-for-17 from the field, including an uncharacteristic 0-for-8 in the second half, and pointed to his injured right thumb as a lingering issue.
Curry, who finished with just 13 points and 9 assists, refused to use the thumb as an excuse for his uncharacteristically poor performance. “It sucks, but it’s not an excuse for anything,” Curry said post-game. “Got to play through it.” The injury has been a persistent problem, getting re-aggravated with each additional hit.
Curry’s Shooting Woes Sink Warriors
The Lakers’ suffocating defense deserves credit for making life miserable for the Warriors’ sharpshooter. Anthony Davis and company held Curry scoreless in the second half, contesting seven of his eight shot attempts.
“Obviously Steph didn’t shoot it well. But I think a lot of that was on us — our guards … constantly getting into the ball, making it tough on him.”
– Anthony Davis on the Lakers’ defensive effort against Curry
Golden State sorely missed the offensive firepower that a healthy Curry reliably provides. The Warriors shot just 39.6% as a team and failed to find a rhythm all night long.
Short-Handed Warriors Facing Uphill Climb
To make matters worse, the Warriors are already without key contributors Draymond Green (calf) and Jonathan Kuminga (ankle) for the foreseeable future. With eight of their next nine games at Chase Center, this homestand has become a make-or-break stretch for a Warriors team hovering around .500.
- Draymond Green – Considered week-to-week with a calf strain
- Jonathan Kuminga – Out indefinitely with a severe ankle sprain suffered three weeks ago
If the defending champs hope to make a late push and avoid the play-in tournament, they’ll need Curry’s thumb to heal quickly and their role players to step up in a major way. With a razor-thin margin for error in the competitive Western Conference, time is running out for Golden State to right the ship.
Curry Determined to Play Through Pain
For his part, the ever-resilient Curry remains committed to gutting it out and giving his team a chance to win. But the Warriors’ medical staff will surely monitor the injury closely to prevent any long-term damage to their franchise cornerstone.
“I will deal with it, but it shouldn’t bother me like it did tonight … Hopefully it will clear up sooner than later.”
– Curry on playing through his thumb injury
With Curry clearly compromised and reinforcements not on the way, the Warriors find themselves in the unfamiliar position of having their backs against the wall. Coach Steve Kerr will need to marshal all his motivational genius to summon a late-season turnaround from his battered and beleaguered group.
