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SAN FRANCISCO – No matter how hard the Warriors practice, how carefully they study video or who they acquire in trade, their fate rests, until further notice, in the same hands that have carried them for 12 seasons.
So, when Stephen Curry landed hard on his backside with 3:24 left in the third quarter, the sellout crowd at Chase Center went library quiet. The Warriors were being pushed around by the lottery-bound Toronto Raptors, and now Curry was face-down on the floor in obvious pain, never to return.
Curry’s departure left the Warriors on their own, lurching through the final 15 minutes before finally massaging their way to a 117-114 victory that was in doubt until the final seconds.
“We decided to be physical, be the more physical team later on in the game,” Jimmy Butler III said. “It’s never too late for that. Then just putting bodies on bodies and going up and getting the loose balls, and getting every rebound, getting some steals, getting some blocks. Then it turns into good things for us offensively.”
The Warriors (41-29) escaped a close call, but Curry’s condition was on everyone’s mind. The initial diagnosis was a “pelvic contusion,” which ended his night and leaves his immediate future subject to closer examination and prognosis.
“He was trying to come back,” coach Steve Kerr said, adding that Curry would undergo an MRI test. “He thought he might be able to come back, and we just decided not to risk anything.”
Draymond Green and Butler covered for Curry. Neither shot well, but they dived into their team leader roles and did the two things that will be absolute requirements to maintain momentum without the team’s offensive engine.
They got crucial stops on defense and valued the ball on offense. Golden State committed two turnovers in the final 15 minutes while forcing seven Toronto giveaways.
“The mentality is just, when Steph’s out of the game, then it’s vitally important that we get stops,” Green said. “So, you just kind of emphasize that. Guys stepped up to the challenge. The offense is never going to be as smooth when he’s not out…
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Publish date : 2025-03-21 00:01:00
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