Update: Warriors star Stephen Curry out indefinitely with partial ligament and membrane tears
SAN FRANCISCO -- Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry will be out indefinitely after an injury Saturday tore ligaments and membranes in his left leg, according to the team.
Earlier reports indicated he would be out for multiple weeks, according to Shams Charania with the Athletic.
Curry suffered the injury on Saturday night during the Warriors' 119-113 win over the Dallas Mavericks, who were playing without Luka Doncic.
Sunday afternoon, the Warriors confirmed that an MRI revealed Curry "suffered partial tears to his superior tibiofibular ligaments and interosseous membrane as well as a contusion to his lower leg."
An MRI last night confirmed that Stephen Curry suffered partial tears to his superior tibiofibular ligaments and interosseous membrane as well as a contusion to his lower leg. pic.twitter.com/XiFY8Uokl6
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) February 5, 2023
The team said Curry will not play in Monday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Additional clarity on a potential timeline for his return will be determined in the coming days.
During the third quarter, Curry was trying to defend a drive by young Mavericks guard Jaden Harvey, when the two appeared to knock knees. Curry's leg buckled inward and he left the game to head to the locker room. X-rays were negative, per the Warriors. Curry underwent the MRI on Saturday night.
"This going to be a significant setback for the Warriors."@CoachAvery6 on Steph Curry expected to miss multiple weeks with a left leg injury. pic.twitter.com/VZTrXbvk2s
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) February 5, 2023
Curry missed 11 games earlier this season due to a left shoulder subluxation. Durability has always been a concern for the smaller Curry. He missed 18 games last season, and in the 2019-20 campaign he suited up only five times. Early in his career, a series of ankle injuries hampered his development, but he was able to eventually overcome them and grow into an MVP-caliber player.
An extended Curry absence would be a serious concern for a Golden State team that is underperforming expectations this season. Despite winning the championship last year, the Warriors are just 27-26 through 53 games. They currently occupy the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference, but the standings are so crowded that any time spent without Curry could knock them out of the play-in round entirely. The No. 13-seeded Lakers are currently only 2.5 games behind them.
The Warriors are deep at the guard positions. Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson can scale up their usage, and Donte DiVincenzo has had a strong comeback season in Golden State. But there is no true substitute for the greatest shooter of all time, so the Warriors just need to hope that their best player is healthy as soon as possible.
Another sub-plot here is that Curry will now likely miss the 2023 NBA All-Star Game, which is set to be held on Feb. 19 in Salt Lake City. Potential injury replacements include Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker, Minnesota Timberwolves dynamo Anthony Edwards and Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox.