SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry will be absent from the forthcoming road trip to Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Chicago due to a contusion in his left thigh, prolonging his absence for a minimum of three additional games.
Curry was scheduled for a formal reevaluation on Thursday, but Warriors head coach Steve Kerr preempted the news. He described Curry as a «long shot» to be back by the weekend, so Kerr, Curry, and Rick Celebrini, the team’s chief medical decision-maker, opted for him to remain in the Bay Area for recovery.
Curry sustained a quad injury last Wednesday evening during a home defeat against the Houston Rockets. This injury will ultimately sideline him for at least five games, but Kerr expressed optimism that Curry could return for Golden State’s home matchup on December 12 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The team has a four-day break following the road trip and will conduct two practices leading up to it.
It is also uncertain if the Warriors will have their second star, Jimmy Butler, to start the trip on Thursday night against the Sixers. Butler was absent for the latter half of Tuesday night’s 124-112 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder due to a sore left knee.
«I don’t have any additional information,» Kerr stated. «I was unaware [he was out] until I was strategizing a play with a minute left [before the second half] when someone entered the huddle and informed me that Jimmy was down.»
Butler entered the contest with a questionable status due to a glute contusion. He has also contended with ankle and back discomfort early this season for a veteran Warriors squad that has struggled to an 11-11 record across 22 games.
Trailing by 22 against the Thunder, the undermanned Warriors made an unexpected comeback in the second half and briefly seized the lead in the fourth quarter, partly owing to Seth Curry contributing 14 points in 14 minutes off the bench during his debut.
However, the reigning champions finished strongly. Last season’s MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander concluded with 38 points, boosting the Thunder’s record to 21-1, while leaving the Warriors on the road in a slump after a 2-3 homestand.
