Preview: No structural damage, but Curry ruled out
Curry will not travel with team to Atlanta as critical six game road trip commences
The good news first: Stephen Curry’s MRI results did not detect any structural damage, which clears up a lot of concern regarding the Golden State Warriors best and most important player. However, the bad news is that the team has ruled him out for tonight’s game against the Atlanta Hawks, and given the phrasing in their official update announcement, he will be re-evaluated Monday, but could certainly miss additional time.
Thankfully, there’s plenty of talent remaining for the team to defend their playoff seeding as the regular season winds to a close; but it just got a bit more tense.
GAME DETAILS
WHO: Golden State Warriors (41-29) at Atlanta Hawks (33-36)
WHEN: Saturday, March 22nd, 2025; 4pm PDT
WATCH: NBCSBA
Time to sweat the small stuff
As they demonstrated by closing out a win in their last game after Curry left the game, the Warriors can certainly still continue their winning ways - even without their brightest star to light the way. However, in order to do so, there are a few minor details that have suddenly become more urgent. The seven game home stand was a success, the team went 6-1, including a few gutsy performances to save games that could have easily slipped through their fingers.
Golden State now hits the road for their next six games. Opening up these first two games while missing Curry for at least one of them will be a telling moment for a team that has begun to find their stride after an extremely bumpy mid-season ride. With Jimmy Butler on board, the Warriors have been reinvigorated, but they’ll need to protect that feeling while playing without Curry. First tonight against the Atlanta Hawks, and then the team has a little breathing room prior to playing Andrew Wiggins and Butler’s old team, the Miami Heat on Tuesday.
Without Curry, the onus will be on the rest of the roster to step up. Naturally, the offensive burden of losing your top scorer is top of mind, but there’s another path towards coverage that feels a bit more viable: leaning into the defense. After my initial blasphemous parallel, Eric Apricot called the duo of Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler the Block Bros - which I love. If this team is to be anything without Curry playing, it will almost certainly start with a renewed focus on defense. The intensity will always be there with Green and Butler, but there’s an undercurrent of mutual respect and admiration growing between two of the NBA’s most dynamic defenders.
Offensively, watch for the team to adjust their approach a bit. Without Curry drawing so much attention, opponents are able to fundamentally shift their defensive attention. Moses Moody had a tough night in that close win over the Toronto Raptors, scoring just four points in 27 minutes - all of them at the free throw line. Cold nights happen, and that last game would certainly qualify for Moody, who has been on an absolute tear recently.
Thankfully, the ongoing return and reintegration of Jonathan Kuminga could play into this adjustment really well. For a team that has historically withered and died whenever Curry wasn’t on the court, they’ve fared significantly better since the arrival of Butler. Still, this pattern will need to hold up through the course of an entire game rather than just spot minutes - with Curry standing by to reinforce whenever needed.
Adjustments aren’t just needed around the edges of course, Butler will have to be a big part of the solution here, something that could require him to begin a more aggressive approach when it comes to scoring and playmaking. In his own words, the Warriors will need to be nearly perfect without Curry.
"I think the message is gonna be, whether he's with us or whether he's not, hopefully he is, but if he isn't, that's just more perfect basketball that we're gonna have to play.
We can't afford to turn the ball over, we can't afford to foul, because we don't have the one individual that can automatically get us back into the game, but we want the guy, we want our guy with us."
-Jimmy Butler
Turnovers have long haunted this team. Even prior to coach Steve Kerr’s arrival, the Warriors were profligate in this area, which has only been further exacerbated under the motion- and pass-heavy offense that Kerr has implemented.
Thankfully, it’s not like the Warriors are completely hopeless in either regard. According to BBall Reference, the Warriors rank 17th in fouls per opponent field goal attempts, and 11th in their own turnover percentage on offense. Neither mark is crippling, but if the goal is to clean up some of the edge details, those are natural areas to focus on first.
It’s hard to say exactly where the team will miss Curry the most, but the fact that he will be sorely missed is beyond refute. If the Warriors want to continue clawing their way into the best playoff seeding possible, a lot of little details will need to go right; Which feels a whole lot more likely than it did a month or two ago.
While Curry’s absence certainly leaves a void, the Warriors have shown resilience. With a renewed defensive focus and contributions from key players, they have the potential to navigate these tough games. It's a challenge, but one they’re more prepared for than ever.
Prediction
Warriors win, but it may not be pretty.
Music Friday(ish)
Yeah, yeah I know. By the time you are reading this, it’s not Friday any more, but since I’ve been trying to see more live music this year, I’m back into the chase for new bands and songs.
I’m fortunate enough to still be allowed to be seen in public with my teenaged daughter and just went to the UC Theatre in Berkeley yesterday to see the Linda Lindas. In keeping with that Dad and Daughter music scene theme, we’ll be back out in a couple of weeks at the same venue, this time checking out a band called Destroy Boys. I found them when they opened for PUP a while back and am really loving a few of their songs. This one is punk (of course), but the lyrics are all about taking a bird from the sky and wondering why it still wants to fly. Give it a shot, it rips!
Post-game thread up.
Not a surprise:
[[ FROM SHAMS:
The Golden State Warriors will sign forward Kevin Knox to a deal for the rest of the season, sources tell ESPN. The former No. 9 pick averaged 4 points and 7 minutes over 7 games for the Warriors in February and March. ]]