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Kendra Andrews, ESPNOct 27, 2024, 11:02 PM ET
SAN FRANCISCO — Warriors guard Stephen Curry was scheduled to undergo an MRI on Sunday evening for a left ankle sprain that forced him to exit Golden State’s 112-104 loss to the LA Clippers early in the fourth quarter.
Coach Steve Kerr said Curry described the injury as “mild or moderate” after the game. However, there is a level of concern for the veteran, as he has suffered multiple sprains on that ankle.
The team is bracing for Curry to miss time, possibly several games, sources told ESPN.
“I feel more comfortable that we can withstand an absence offensively without Steph because of [our] depth,” Kerr told ESPN.
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Curry first twisted the ankle with just under three minutes left in the third quarter. He immediately checked out of the game, limped to the sideline and sat on the bench, where he was tended to by athletic trainer Drew Yoder.
Curry rocked back and forth on his chair for a few minutes before beginning to stretch out his ankle with a resistance band.
He checked back into the game four minutes into the fourth quarter. Just seconds later, as Curry tried to fight through a screen, he aggravated the injury. This time, he exited the court and went to the locker room, using support from Gary Payton II and walking with a limp much worse than before.
“[I just] shake my head,” Payton said. “Hate to have it, especially with him. But we’ll be all right. … Hopefully he doesn’t miss too many, but we’ve got to figure it out.”
Curry finished the night with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including four made 3-pointers and six assists.
“We’ve just got to stick together,” Buddy Hield told ESPN about the possibility of playing without Curry. “It’ll be a great challenge.”
If Curry misses time, the Warriors will need someone to take over primary scoring responsibilities. As the sixth man, Hield is averaging 19 points in 20.8 minutes and is shooting 53% from 3.
Kerr also cited Andrew Wiggins as a player who could take on more of an offensive leadership role. The coach has been encouraging him since training camp to be a high-volume scorer.
Against the Clippers, Wiggins finished with 29 points on 11-of-15 shooting, including 5-of-8 from 3.
“Wiggs is off to a great start and had a great night,” Kerr said. “He’s an obvious candidate to get the ball more. But we’ve got a deep team. We’ve got a lot of guys who can play. We will be ready.”
