Steph Curry Day-to-Day with Knee Soreness as Warriors Weigh Health vs. Wins
The Warriors got a bit of a scare Friday night when Steph Curry exited their 131-124 loss to the Pistons with a sore right knee. But the good news? It’s not serious.
After undergoing an MRI, Curry was diagnosed with patellofemoral syndrome - commonly referred to as “runner’s knee.” It’s a manageable issue, and according to head coach Steve Kerr, the two-time MVP is considered day-to-day.
“We’ve got to monitor it,” Kerr said after Saturday’s practice at Chase Center. “Especially with the All-Star break coming up, we’ll have to see if he can handle his regular workload or if he needs to sit out a game here or there.”
That’s a delicate balance for Golden State right now. They’re fighting to stay in the playoff mix, short on perimeter firepower, and now their most important player is dealing with a nagging knee. Jimmy Butler is already done for the year with a torn ACL, and Jonathan Kuminga - a potential trade piece ahead of the Feb. 5 deadline - is also sidelined with knee soreness.
Curry’s injury occurred late in the third quarter against Detroit. Just moments after converting an and-1 over Ausar Thompson, he limped off the court and made his way to the locker room with 4:04 left in the period. After the game, he was seen moving around with a limp but notably had no brace or ice on the knee - a small but telling sign that the injury may not be severe.
Even at 37, just weeks away from turning 38, Curry remains the engine of this Warriors team - and the league’s most lethal shooter. He leads the NBA in three-pointers made per game at 4.5 and was recently named an All-Star starter for the 12th time. The exhibition will be held in Inglewood later this month.
But availability is key - especially this season. Under the league’s new award eligibility rules, Curry must play at least 65 games to qualify for postseason honors.
He’s already missed 11, including Monday’s game in Minnesota due to inflammation in the same knee. That gives him a margin of just six more games for the rest of the season.
On Friday, Curry managed 23 points in 25 minutes, hitting 4-of-10 from deep before exiting. Without him, the Warriors still put up a fight against the East-leading Pistons, trimming a 20-point second-half deficit and making it a game down the stretch.
De’Anthony Melton stepped up with 18 points in just over 25 minutes, and rookie Gui Santos added 16 on an efficient 7-of-9 shooting night. It was a team-wide effort - eight different Warriors scored in double figures. Brandin Podziemski, continuing to grow into his role, nearly posted a triple-double with 11 points, eight boards, and eight assists.
The Warriors even won the fourth quarter 29-23. But without Curry’s gravity bending the defense, they just didn’t have enough to complete the comeback.
On the other side, Cade Cunningham showed why he’s headed to the All-Star Game himself, dropping 29 points and dishing out 11 assists to help Detroit improve to 35-12 - tops in the East.
Golden State fell to 27-23 and now gets a short break before hosting the Sixers on Tuesday. Philly will be without Paul George, who is serving a 25-game suspension for violating the league’s drug policy. George had been in strong form, putting up 32 points and nine rebounds in one game, followed by a 15-point, five-assist effort in another.
As for Draymond Green, he had 15 points and seven assists against Detroit but drew attention for the wrong reasons - again. Green picked up his 10th technical foul of the season and didn’t hold back in his postgame comments, criticizing official JT Orr.
The league confirmed Saturday that the technical will stand. Kerr said he hasn’t spoken to Green about the incident.
Green is now six techs away from an automatic one-game suspension, a number that’s worth monitoring as the season heats up.
In other injury updates, the team announced that Seth Curry will be reevaluated in two weeks as he recovers from sciatica. Kuminga’s knee is showing signs of improvement, but his status for Tuesday’s game remains uncertain.
For now, all eyes are on Curry’s knee. The Warriors know they can’t make a serious run without him - but they also can’t afford to push him too hard. With the trade deadline looming and postseason positioning tightening, Golden State is walking a fine line between urgency and caution.