Zachary Engberg
2 min read • February 05, 2023
Posted in
Warriors' superstar point guard Stephen Curry walked gingerly to the locker room late in the third quarter after he bumped knees with Mavericks' guard McKinley Wright IV.
The defending Finals MVP appeared to suffer a left MCL/high-ankle sprain on the play when his knee bent inwards, according to the Pro Basketball Docs.
He will likely rest through the all-star break that runs to Feb. 22 and miss the next five games but his absence shouldn't be significant.
Curry has suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in each knee and, similar to his repeated ankle sprains, the residual laxity from his previous ligament injury should shorten his recovery timeline.
The 34-year-old suffered a right MCL sprain in the 2016 playoffs when he slipped on a wet spot and missed two weeks but his mobility grew progressively more limited later in the playoffs and his quick comeback forced him to sit out the Olympics to recover.
In March 2018 Curry suffered a left MCL injury, missed 5.5 weeks, and returned for the final three rounds and 15 games of his third championship run.
The Warriors, 27-26, held on on Saturday night after Curry's apparent knee sprain and stand smack in the middle of the 10-team stampede in the West that are all within four games of the No. 4 seed.
Golden State is 7-8 without him this season and 17-25 without Curry since the 2020-21 season.
Jordan Poole scored 26.7 points with 4.3 assists and 4.6 turnovers on 21.1 shots per game in the 15 games after Curry's December left shoulder injury and would likely step into a greater playmaking role if Curry misses time.
Written by Zachary Engberg
