SAN FRANCISCO — Nothing rocks the core of Golden State Warriors fans like the sight of Stephen Curry limping. If the highlights of his 16 years are the four championships and moments of splendor, certainly the lowlights are the seasons wrecked by his anterior talofibular ligaments.
The groan in Chase Center this Sunday evening, as Curry limped down the court in the third quarter before veering towards his seat on the bench, gave voice to the churning stomachs of triggered Warriors fans. The same sudden dread was evident in Curry, too. His defiant limp declared, “Oh no. Don’t do this to me now!” as he tried to will the pain away.
Curry despises being injured. But adding insult to his injured pride was how critical the start to this season is for the Warriors. It was going so swimmingly. Good chemistry began in training camp in Hawaii and spilled over into a productive preseason. Two blowout wins to start the season, in Portland and Utah, had the vibes immaculate in Golden State.
Curry, following a chat with an athletic trainer, worked on the left ankle by himself with a resistance band as he sat on the bench. He checked back in and, 13 seconds later, he was limping straight to the locker room after rolling the ankle again. This time he limped straight to the locker room.
It ruined the Warriors’ home opener. They were struggling against the athletic and scrappy Los Angeles Clippers all night. With the reigning Clutch Player of the Year in the locker room for the closing stretch, the Warriors couldn’t score enough, losing 112-104.
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So now we see about the Warriors’ depth. If vibes can hold the fort.
Sunday, the bench got worked over pretty well. Everyone who played more than a minute was a minus when on the court. The 3-point shooting betrayed them: 4-for-16 from deep in the fourth quarter and 14-for-43 overall. The formula that led to a plus-77 scoring margin in the first two games produced a dud in the home opener.
Much of the talk has been about coach Steve Kerr’s 12-man rotation. The difficult part about so many players worthy of playing time is parsing the minutes. Kyle Anderson was the odd man out this night.
“I only went to Kyle for four minutes,” Kerr said, “and he was amazing the second half on the bench, leading everybody, talking to guys. That’s what you have to have if you’re going to do this and play a lot of people. Everyone’s got to be on board. I couldn’t have been more impressed by Kyle’s professionalism.”
This is, in some ways, what the Warriors planned for this offseason. The loss of Klay Thompson, and the swing and misses on stars to replace him, prompted general manager Mike Dunleavy to return the Warriors to their “Strength In Numbers” roots. They stocked up on veterans and wings. They improved their versatility and addressed some of their glaring issues by committee. They’re prepared for guys to miss games.
Of course, losing Curry in Game 3 of the season, and for what could be an extended period, is like a midterm exam in the first week.
“He’s doing OK,” Kerr said. “I think he used the word mild or moderate. He’s obviously sprained that ankle many times before so he doesn’t think it’s too bad. But obviously it’s a concern.”
The results of the MRI he took on Sunday night will reveal the severity of this sprain. But we already know Rick Celebrini, the Warriors vice president of player health and performance, tends to be cautious.
It’s probably safe to assume Curry will miss the home back-to-back against New Orleans on Tuesday and Wednesday. A week off would bring him back Monday in Washington, a three-game absence.
It’s all speculation at this point. But after a decade-and-a-half with Curry, you can hypothesize based on his reaction. That he tried to keep playing, and the trainers let him, felt like a good sign. His phantom sprain when he came back — that’s what he used to call it when he rolled it without contact — was a sign he’ll need some rest.
It’s earlier than expected, perhaps, but this was always coming. The Warriors were banking on it. They’re preaching patience because they know an 82-game season comes with these setbacks.
The biggest opportunities are for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield.
Kuminga took just 10 shots in his 22 minutes. Even with the revamped roster, he still looks like an accessory on offense instead of the focus. He was 1-for-6 from 3, settling for jumpers in the Warriors’ space-compromised lineups. No Curry might force the Warriors to go small to generate offense. They can ill-afford to put three non-shooters on the court when one of the other two isn’t the greatest ever.
Draymond Green starting at center also takes a big man out of the paint and, theoretically, gives Kuminga room to operate.
Hield would make sense as a starter. Despite his 3-for-14 shooting night Sunday, including 1-for-9 from 3, he is clearly vital to the Warriors offense. The Clippers, assuredly noting Hield was 12-for-16 from 3 in the first two games, paid special attention to him when he came off the bench. Golden State will need the space and gravity of their best shooter available.
Does Kerr start DeAnthony Melton at point guard or Brandin Podziemski? The latter fits better for the pace they want to play. But Podz is also 1-for-14 from 3-point range, so if Green will be the de facto point guard, Melton makes more sense as a spot-up shooter.
Either way, they need to play inspired basketball as much as they need to win. Curry, if he’s right about the mildness of the sprain, shouldn’t be out long enough to tank the season. So this should be the first quality control test of the Warriors’ grand plan.
If they are scrappy, if the camaraderie is real, if the depth is valid, it will show up while Curry is out.
It did towards the end of the game Sunday night. With Curry out, and a 13-point deficit, the Warriors began to chip away. Kevon Looney and Andrew Wiggins led the charge. The Clippers managed just 12 points over the final six minutes.
Looney got a steal and a fast-break layup to cut the Clippers lead to 101-95. After a Looney layup, Wiggins hit a 3-pointer to cut the Warriors’ deficit to a point.
It wasn’t enough to win. But it was enough to give credence to the vibes.
“I loved our fight,” Kerr said. “I thought Loon came in and lit a fire under us. I thought that was the first time the whole night that we really competed at both ends.”
(Top photo of Stephen Curry grimacing during Sunday’s game: Kavin Mistry / Getty Images)
