Stephen Curry suffered a coccyx injury in the Golden State Warriors’ victory over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, and the team pulled him out of the game in the middle of the fourth period. The play itself took place at the end of the third quarter. Curry managed to shake Kevin Porter Jr. to create a 3-point attempt, but lost control over his momentum by going backwards.
Curry seemed to believe that there was something behind him to slow him down, but there was none. He fell on a metal ladder near the court where the fans would normally be and looked like he was in a lot of pain.
The Warriors managed to beat the Rockets without Curry, but they cannot afford a prolonged absence. With 21-20, they currently occupy seed No. 9 in the Western Conference, placing them in a position to participate in the play-in round. They are three games behind the Portland Trail Blazers, the current number 6, and catching them to escape the game round even with a healthy Curry would not be an easy task.
The Warriors have been struggling to generate good moves when Curry leaves the game this season, so any games lost would be extremely difficult for them to control. There is still no timetable for Curry’s recovery, although luckily the bruises tend not to be particularly severe. The Warriors play again on Friday in Memphis. The Grizzlies are right behind them in the standings, so a healthy Curry will be necessary if they plan to create any separation.