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Warriors overcome nervous moment after Steph’s minor injury departure originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO — The scariest sight for the Warriors and their fans Friday night was not the avalanche of turnovers that left scars on their 109-106 preseason victory over the rival Sacramento Kings.
No, the worst of it was seeing Stephen Curry and health/performance specialist Dr. Rick Celebrini walking into the locker room late in the second quarter and not returning for the second half.
Did a few Golden State hearts skip a beat?
“Always,” coach Steve Kerr said. “Steph is Steph, so. I was assured at halftime that he was fine. X-rays were negative. It was anything too concerning.
“But, yeah, you always get nervous when he gets hurt.”
Fortunately for the Warriors, and their fans, the issue that led to Curry’s abrupt departure was no more than a jammed right index finger that is not deemed serious. As Curry’s teammates were romping about the court in the second half, he was going through an individual workout.
Such precaution is prudent, as it would have been beyond silly to imperil the franchise player in a preseason game — though Kerr had planned to push Curry beyond the ragged 16 minutes he spent on the court.
“He was going to actually play into the third quarter tonight for the first time (this preseason),” Kerr said. “But when he jammed his finger, it made no sense to send him back out there.”
Bullet dodged. If ever there were a snapshot that illustrates the imperceptible margin of error for these Warriors, it is Curry’s health. If he’s available, they can be good enough to scare even the NBA’s certified elite. If he’s not available, they’re an average team trying to stay relevant in the unforgiving jungle that is the Western Conference.
The upside to Curry’s early departure is that it gave the other Warriors considerable room to exhibit their goods. At one point in the fourth quarter, trailing by three, Golden State was represented by Moses Moody, De’Anthony Melton, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Lindy Waters III and Pat Spencer.
Kerr eventually emptied his bench, playing 16…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/warriors-overcome-nervous-moment-stephs-151355336.html
Author : NBC Sports BayArea
Publish date : 2024-10-12 15:13:55
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