It’s a potential nightmare for the Golden State Warriors.
As the final weeks of the NBA’s regular season commences, any significant injury could determine the fate of playoff hopes around the league. The Warriors tried to get out in front of that by resting Stephen Curry for Tuesday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks, but they couldn’t have prepared for his scary fall during the third-quarter of Thursday’s matchup with the Toronto Raptors at Chase Center.
Curry landed hard on his back after a drive to the basket with just over three minutes left in the third-quarter, leaving the 2x MVP writhing in pain on the floor as concern filled Chase Center and the rest of Dub Nation around the world.
While Curry hobbled back to the locker room and didn’t return, Golden State still managed to claw themselves out of trouble to record their 41st win of the season. After trailing by seven just after Curry’s exit, the Warriors ground out a 117-114 victory thanks to Jimmy Butler’s triple-double and some lock-down defense over the final 15 minutes.
How long will Stephen Curry be out for?
There was some early optimism from Steve Kerr in his post-game press conference, with the head coach suggesting that Curry wanted to return to the game but was overruled by the medical staff in what was the appropriate decision.
The question now remains on whether Curry was simply playing on adrenaline and the desire to help his teammates get the win, or if the injury really isn’t as bad as first seen or heard as he landed heavily on the Chase Center floor.
Notable Golden State fan Dr. Nirav Pandya took to social media to provide some information on Curry’s injury, suggesting that pelvic contusions can range from a few days to a few weeks in terms of recovery time.
Re: pelvic contusions and Stephen Curry. There is no defined timeline for a return to play. Assuming there is no larger structural injury, it can be as quick as a few days to sometimes as long as a few weeks. It's about how quickly an athlete has pain relief and can perform…
— Dr. Nirav Pandya, M.D. (@DrNiravPandya) March 21, 2025
All eyes are now on the results of Curry’s MRI, with fingers crossed that there isn’t any major damage from a structural standpoint. The 11x All-Star was originally diagnosed with a pelvic contusion when he fell hard during a game in 2021, only for it to be later revealed that he suffered a hairline fracture. Curry missed five games that time around, and a similar timeframe now would be unfortunate but not totally disastrous.
The Warriors begin a six-game road-trip on Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks, before matchups with the Miami Heat, New Orleans Pelicans and San Antonio Spurs to close out the month.
The acquisition of Butler will prove even more important over any Curry absence, with the 6x All-Star having taken control on Thursday and in Tuesday’s victory over the Bucks.
