Stephen Curry gave Warriors fans a vintage performance on Sunday, dropping 26 points in just 28 minutes during a dominant win in Minnesota. But while the scoreboard looked great, Curry’s postgame comments carried a more cautious tone. He admitted to playing through some discomfort in his right knee and, despite his optimism about suiting up for Monday’s rematch, the team ultimately ruled him out for the second leg of the back-to-back.
According to head coach Steve Kerr, the injury isn’t considered serious, and the hope is that the 37-year-old sharpshooter will be ready to go by Wednesday when Golden State heads to Utah. Still, any time Curry is dealing with a lower-body issue-especially at this stage in his career-it’s something the Warriors will handle with care. He’s the engine of their offense, and while he’s shown time and again that he can bounce back quickly, the team isn’t taking unnecessary risks.
Around the League: Injury Updates
In Minnesota, the Timberwolves were without star guard Anthony Edwards in Monday’s win over Golden State. Edwards was initially listed as questionable due to right foot injury management but was ruled out after going through pregame warmups.
Head coach Chris Finch admitted the decision caught him off guard, saying, “It was news to me, honestly.” Edwards has been dealing with lingering pain in that foot, and while the team hasn’t committed to his availability for both games of their upcoming back-to-back, it’s clear they’re taking a long-term view with their franchise cornerstone.
Over in Portland, forward Deni Avdija sat out his second straight game on Monday as the Trail Blazers fell to Boston. Avdija has been nursing a back injury he aggravated last week, and interim head coach Tiago Splitter said the team opted to give him an extra day of rest as a precaution.
The good news? He’s expected to return Tuesday night when Portland visits Washington.
And in Sacramento, the Kings are monitoring the status of two key backcourt pieces ahead of Tuesday’s matchup with the Knicks. Zach LaVine is listed as questionable with lower back soreness after missing Sunday’s loss in Detroit. Malik Monk, who played through right ankle soreness in that same game and still managed to put up 19 points in 22 minutes, is also questionable.
With teams deep into the grind of the season and playoff positioning starting to take shape, managing injuries-especially to stars and key rotation players-is becoming a chess match. Whether it’s Curry’s knee, Edwards’ foot, or LaVine’s back, how teams handle these situations now could have a major impact on how things unfold in the stretch run.