Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry underwent an MRI on his right ankle, the team announced Tuesday.
Advertisement
The series shifts to Houston for Game 3 on Thursday, and it remains to be seen if Curry can return then after he tweaked the ankle running back on defense in Game 1.
How he felt before the game was to determine whether he played for Golden State in Game 2 of the playoffs Monday night against the Houston Rockets.
That lack of specificity was further complicated by how Steve Kerr described the injury Monday before the Warriors’ Game 2 win over the Houston Rockets. The situation took a turn toward the confusing after Game 2, when Warriors coach Steve Kerr referenced Curry’s foot – as opposed to the ankle – while discussing Curry’s status.
“I’d like to think if it were 1-1 and he was still not able to play, we wouldn’t play him”, Kerr said after the game. But we know with Shaun that if we can keep him under 30, it’s just better for him long-term and over the next couple of days. “But it will be based on his health, not the series score”, Kerr said.
However, any hope Houston had of exploiting Curry’s absence was ruthlessly snuffed out by the Warriors, with Klay Thompson stepping up to weigh in with 34 points. He also found time for six assists in 29 minutes. He missed 7 of 8 3-point tries.
“It’s the back of his foot”, Kerr said.
Oh, and old reliable Draymond Green had 13 rebounds and eight assists in 38 minutes in the game.
The Warriors held the Rockets at arm’s length for most of the game before putting them in their place in the fourth quarter and setting the game out of reach. The Warriors may not have covered the betting line, but it was an important – and comfortable – win for them, regardless. “When Steph’s on the floor, this man just sags in the paint”.
But it was Thompson’s three free throws after interim Rockets coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s technical with 7:16 left that helped seal this one.
At Toronto, Jonas Valanciunas had 23 points and 15 rebounds and Kyle Lowry had 18 points, nine assists and seven rebounds for the Raptors, who had not won a playoff game since a 115-113 home victory over Brooklyn on April 30, 2014. The Warriors are scheduled to practice at Toyota Center in the afternoon. He was in much better spirits after the game.
Missing Stephen Curry, the Warriors still managed to steady themselves and take total control of their first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets.
Game 3 is Thursday in Dallas.
The news about Curry’s MRI was huge given the superstar point guard had two surgeries on that ankle in 2011-12.
Advertisement
“When Steph goes down, that’s obviously not easy to replace, so not one guy’s going to come out and do what Steph does for this team”, Green said (via the AP).
