The Golden State Warriors’ hot start just hit a real snag.
After opening the season 3-0, they ripped off eight straight wins and looked like they had found a formula that worked even with Jimmy Butler, Moses Moody, and Kristaps Porzingis all out. The supporting cast carried more of the load, with Yaxel Lendeborg and Brandin Podziemski helping ease the pressure on Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, and the veterans were able to get more rest along the way.
That run came to an abrupt halt against the Houston Rockets, and the bigger concern arrived with Curry. He left the game in the first quarter with what was described as an “abdominal strain,” and Steve Kerr said the level of concern was high until the team got back Curry’s MRI results.
Those results came back this morning, and the update is that Curry will miss at least the next two weeks with an oblique tear, according to Shams Charania via X.
That timeline is better than it could have been. Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero both missed significant time with the same injury last season, so a two-week window is at least somewhat encouraging. Still, it means the Warriors will be without Curry for at least seven games, and that’s a heavy blow to a team that had built real momentum.
The good news for Golden State is that this group looks better equipped than some recent versions to handle life without Curry for a stretch. The Warriors have already shown they can win without asking him to carry the offense every night, and if the team keeps leaning into the physicality and intensity it has shown during this run, it should still be able to stay in the mix.
But surviving is one thing. Thriving is another.
The Western Conference is deep enough that simply hanging around could leave Golden State in a tough spot later, and the last two seasons are a warning sign. The Warriors ended up exhausted after battling for play-in positioning late in the regular season, and that’s not a path they can afford to repeat if they want a real shot at a deep playoff run.
This stretch will tell a lot about the team’s new identity. The road trip already started in Houston, and it continues with games against the San Antonio Spurs, New Orleans Pelicans, Dallas Mavericks, and Memphis Grizzlies. Golden State beat the Pelicans handily in its last meeting with them, but the other three teams bring different problems, and all three rank in the top 12 in offensive rating right now.
The timing of Curry’s injury also means he’ll miss home games against the Boston Celtics and Sacramento Kings, along with a road game against the surprisingly dynamic Portland Trail Blazers.
Golden State is 8-4 entering this stretch. If it can come out of these seven games with a 4-3 record, picking up wins against the Mavericks, Pelicans, Kings, and Trail Blazers, it would be in a strong position when Curry is re-evaluated.
Still, there’s no getting around the reality here: when your superstar is 38 years old, nothing is guaranteed. The Warriors are about to be reminded of that in a hurry.
In Other News...
Warriors Face A Draymond Green Question They Never Expected
Draymond Greens name surfacing in trade chatter is the kind of development the Warriors never really expected to be managing this time of year. According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Sacramento Kings have interest in Green ahead of the February mid-season deadline, which immediately turns a familiar Golden State cornerstone into an unexpected talking point as the market starts to take shape.
A deal between the Warriors and Kings would come with plenty of hurdles, from fit to contract considerations, and the idea still feels more like a difficult possibility than a clear path forward. Still, the fact that Green is being discussed at all says plenty about how quickly the deadline can force even the most established teams into uncomfortable territory, and there has been no official trade confirmed. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Injury Situation Just Made This Rockets Test Feel Different
The Warriors are heading into the first stop of a five-game road trip in Houston with plenty of momentum, but also a little more uncertainty than usual. Both Golden State and the Rockets are 8-3, and the matchup already had the feel of an early measuring-stick game before the injury report started to pile up for both sides. The Warriors have won eight straight, while Houston is coming off a win over the Denver Nuggets, so this one arrives with real weight even before the ball goes up.
Will Richard is among the names to watch after being listed as questionable with a left thumb UCL tear, and he is part of a broader list of players on both teams dealing with availability concerns. For Golden State, that adds another layer to a road test that was already going to say plenty about where this group stands early in the season. A strong start has given the Warriors some breathing room, but the kind of game they get in Houston could hinge as much on who is available as on who is playing best. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Backcourt Plans Could Suddenly Revive A Familiar Reunion Talk
The Warriors eight-game surge has only sharpened the sense that this group is back in the kind of position where bigger roster ideas start to surface. After the win over New Orleans, Golden State is once again being mentioned in the same breath as high-end names such as LeBron James and Anthony Davis, which tells you how quickly the conversation can shift when a team starts stacking victories and looking ahead to the next offseason.
Jordan Poole has also re-entered the picture in a way that would have sounded unlikely not long ago, with the former Warrior saying he would be open to a return as a free agent. If Golden State does end up with more salary cap flexibility next offseason, the front office may have more room to explore familiar paths as well as splashier ones, and that is the kind of backdrop that keeps reunion talk alive even when the roster is already rolling. [Read more 🡒]