The Warriors will be without Stephen Curry for at least five more games.
On Wednesday, the Warriors provided an update stating that Curry is making “good progress” as he recovers from patellofemoral pain syndrome, often referred to as runner’s knee.
This injury has caused him to miss the last 15 games, and the earliest he could return is March 21 against the Hawks.
Even though his absence has contributed to the team’s recent struggles and challenges in the standings, it seems clear that Curry is determined to return before the season ends.
According to the team, he has started individual practices on the court, focusing on building strength. The Warriors mentioned they will reevaluate his status in 10 days, on Friday.
Golden State is set to face Atlanta on Saturday in the fifth game of a six-game road trip. They will wrap up this trip against the Mavericks on Monday and then head home to play seven of their next eight games, beginning with the Nets on March 25.
Since Curry last played in a loss against the Pistons on January 30, the Warriors have struggled with a record of 5-10, changing their play-in status from 7-8 to 9-10, complicating their chances going forward.
Currently, they sit in the No. 9 seed, 1.5 games behind the Trail Blazers, which earns them the right to host the first play-in game. Regardless, they need to win that game and then overcome the loser of the 7/8 match to advance to the first round against the likely No. 1 seed, which appears to be the Thunder.
“The goal is to reach the 7-8 game,” said guard Pat Spencer after the Warriors lost 130-124 to the Bulls in overtime on Tuesday. “We know how crucial every game is from here on out, so we hope number 30 will be back to full health soon.”
This season, the Warriors have a record of 23-16 with Curry and just 9-17 without him.
“We’re definitely a different team without him,” commented Kristaps Porzingis after the recent loss. It was yet another matchup against a team that seems to be in tanking mode. “I hope to experience playing with him soon.”
The combination of his size and skill makes Porzingis a great fit alongside Curry.
They haven’t shared the court since the Warriors traded Mike Dunleavy Jr. for Porzingis, who stands at 7-foot-3, due to injuries affecting the roster.
“I want the chance to play with Steph,” Porzingis remarked. “Who wouldn’t want that?”
Meanwhile, Golden State is already missing Jimmy Butler for the remainder of the season, and they need to be cautious about the health of Porzingis, Al Horford, and De’Anthony Melton.
Moses Moody has also been out for the last four games due to a sprained wrist, and Will Richard just made a return on Tuesday after an ankle injury. In addition, Seth Curry has only participated in his third game of the season as of Monday.
Golden State signed younger Curry in December, and now he is also looking forward to the chance to play alongside his older brother for the first time. Seth, who is 35, had been sidelined for the previous 40 games before his return on Monday night, where the Warriors faced a 119-116 loss to the Jazz.
As it stands, the Warriors are in a tricky situation with 17 games left in the season. Ideally, they’d like to keep Curry through the final stretch to improve their playoff positioning.
