Warriors to keep Stephen Curry sidelined for at least two more games with knee pain
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The Golden State Warriors will hold guard Stephen Curry out of Friday’s home matchup with the Washington Wizards and Sunday’s road contest against the Denver Nuggets because of lingering discomfort in his right knee, league sources told ESPN.
The decision pushes Curry’s current absence to a minimum of 25 straight games. The 38-year-old has increased on-court activity recently but has not been cleared for a full 5-on-5 scrimmage, the final hurdle set by director of sports medicine and performance Rick Celebrini.
Team sources said Curry still hopes to return before the regular season ends on April 12 and will spend the next week trying to reach scrimmage clearance. “The bottom line is, if Steph is healthy he’s going to play,” head coach Steve Kerr said this week. “But if there’s any risk whatsoever in terms of how it would impact next year, then he won’t play.”
Golden State is 8-15 without its star and sits at 35-38, holding the Western Conference’s 10th seed and a play-in spot. The club has already lost starting wings Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody to season-ending knee injuries, prompting internal debate about whether bringing Curry back makes sense in what has been a difficult season.
Curry has been out since Jan. 30 with what the team termed “runner’s knee.” Multiple MRIs have shown no structural damage, yet pain and swelling persist.
The Warriors’ next opportunity to activate the two-time MVP would be next Wednesday’s home game against the San Antonio Spurs, broadcast nationally on ESPN.
Source: ESPN
