The visit to Gainbridge Fieldhouse ended with very bad news for the Golden State Warriors, and not only because of the 125-119 loss. Those from San Francisco saw how Stephen Curry had to head to the locker room in the middle of the third quarter with notable pain in his left shoulder, a problem that kept him out of the game and that we will see how many more forces him to miss. For now, the point guard will have to undergo an MRI scheduled for today, which will make it possible to analyze the extent of the injury and establish an approximate return date.
The action took place specifically with 2 minutes remaining in the third quarter, in a play in which Jalen Smith was penetrating towards the basket. Curry tried to steal the ball from the Pacers by reaching in, but after the attempt he quickly covered his shoulder with grimaces and Steve Kerr called a timeout to remove him from the track so that he could be attended to by team doctors.
They took him to the locker room, where, after the first tests, they applied ice to the joint for a while. Apparently, Steph was in a good mood with his teammates when they returned after the match, but he avoided using his left arm for small tasks like opening his locker door or taking things out of it.
“I’ve spoken to him briefly, but we haven’t been able to go into detail yet,” said Steve Kerr. “He’s a very optimistic person, so he’s quite upbeat.”
This injury interrupted what was being a real exhibition by Curry, who had added 38 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists in the 29 minutes he was able to play. In fact, half of the 54 goals that the Warriors had scored in the first half were his, and his was also the willpower that led Golden State to re-engage in a duel that was practically lost. The Californians found themselves down 25 just before halftime, but going 3-23 in the third quarter they managed to cut the gap massively a few possessions before Steph had to retire.
It is inevitable to wonder how much impact a prolonged absence of Curry can have on these Warriors, who unlike last year are not exactly brimming with victories. With a record of 14-15, they occupy tenth place in the West, and in fact several of the wins they have scored have come precisely thanks to the exceptional level of the point guard, who has acted as a lifeguard on several nights when the team was at the drift. However, it will be necessary to wait for today’s resonance to be able to make hypotheses with a certain basis.
Haliburton and Mathurin follow their own
The problems of the visitors gave Indiana some air, which watched with fear as the score was compressed but managed to always stay ahead to take a victory with which to maintain a positive record (15-14). Carlisle’s men offered tonight their two faces typical of such a young team: that of enormous potential and that of a dangerous irregularity, although it was the first that ended up prevailing and allowed them to win the duel.
The Pacers bordered on excellence in the second quarter, in which, led by a spectacular Tyrese Haliburton, they opened a more than remarkable gap on the scoreboard. The former Kings added 17 of his 29 points and 4 of his 6 assists in this period, becoming the indisputable reference of the team in his best stretch. Bennedict Mathurin, for his part, was once again his best squire with 24 goals, 11 of which came in a third set in which he helped his team survive the barrage of the Warriors.
(Cover photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images)