Golden State will be without Stephen Curry for at least the immediate stretch ahead. The team said Thursday that Curry will be reevaluated in two weeks after an MRI showed an oblique abdominal tear, as the Bay Area Brief reported from the team announcement and as the Standard reported. The Standard calculated that timetable as at least six missed games. The team has not posted a separate official list of games he will miss, and this account does not invent Friday's availability against San Antonio or any later lineup.
Curry, 38, felt the injury snag early in Wednesday's 115-108 loss at Houston, left after six minutes with the Warriors down 19-10, and went for the MRI in the second half. It is an injury he has not had before, the Standard reported. He had arrived in Houston averaging 30.6 points in 28.6 minutes, with a .722 true-shooting percentage that would be a career high. Golden State fought back and even tied the game without him before the eight-game winning streak ended.
What Lendeborg did in Houston
Yaxel Lendeborg, the Warriors' No. 11 pick, finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds and two steals on 9-for-19 shooting. It was his third career double-double and his seventh 20-point game, the second-most among rookies, the Standard reported. Draymond Green said the rookie had to recognize the opportunity once Curry and Kevin Durant were both off the floor: "You look around, you're probably the best player on the floor, regardless of team. So I think there was a point where he realized, oh, ding-ding-ding, and he started attacking. And the game flipped for him. That's something that he's going to have to realize really fast."
The rest of the injury list, and what comes next
The absence is not Curry's alone. Will Richard is playing through a torn UCL in his left thumb that will eventually require surgery. Brandon Williams is out at least a week with a hamstring strain. Gary Payton II missed Wednesday's game with knee soreness. Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody are in the middle stages of their recoveries, the Standard reported. Curry told teammates he was all right. "He said he's good," Richard said. "He made sure everybody knew he was OK." De'Anthony Melton said Curry encouraged the group to keep fighting and added, "This league's always next man up no matter what. ... We also want to keep this boat floating and moving well while he's out."
Green said the spirit of the team is better than a year ago and pointed to Brandin Podziemski's recent growth and to "incorporating Yax, who's showing to be a really good young player in this league." Unless Curry is sidelined substantially longer than the two-week reevaluation window, the Standard argued, the Warriors are not sinking in mid-November after a strong start. The next test is how much of the offense Lendeborg and the other young players can carry until Curry is cleared to return.