SAN FRANCISCO – Stephen Curry on Saturday received a diagnosis on the chronic soreness in his right knee and his availability for the Warriors-76ers game on Tuesday is uncertain.
Curry banged his knee Friday night in Golden State’s 131-124 loss to the Detroit Pistons, leaving the floor with 4:28 remaining in the third quarter and he did not return. He underwent an MRI exam on Saturday, was diagnosed with patellofemoral pain syndrome and is considered day-to-day.
Patellofemoral pain syndrome, according to the Mayo Clinic, is pain at the front of the knee, around the kneecap. It is sometimes called Runner’s Knee and is more common in people who run and who play sports, like basketball, that involve running and jumping.
Curry has been coping with discomfort in his knee for more than a week and there is no prognosis besides day-to-day examination by director of sports medicine and performance Dr. Rick Celebrini and his staff. In the meantime, Curry can expect plenty of ice therapy.
“The knee last night was the same thing that kept him out of the Minnesota game last week,” coach Steve Kerr said Saturday, referring to Curry sitting out the second night of a back-to-back set against the Timberwolves. “I would imagine it’s something that we have to really monitor here, especially before the All-Star break, where we’ve got to see if he can take on his usual workload, or does he need to miss a game here or there.”
Curry last week was voted as a starter in the Feb. 15 NBA All-Star Game, the 11th time in his 17-year career that he has earned such distinction. Given the status of his knee, however, he likely will limit his minutes – should he remain active for the game.
Curry, 37, has missed 11 of Golden State’s 50 games this season, mostly due to various lower body aches and tweaks and a respiratory illness in November. He leads the Warriors in scoring, averaging 27.3 points per game, which ranks 10th in the NBA.
Kerr indicated that, at least for now, it’s a matter of the Warriors, trying to make a push for the postseason, straddling the line between pain tolerance and potential long-term risk.
“You have to do both,” Kerr said. “I mean, that’s the job, right? That’s our job as a staff, as a team, to mix and match the lineups. And you have to include the performance staff and all these conversations. Rick and I had this exact conversation today.”
“So, it everything changes daily. We’re constantly talking with Steph, checking in with him, seeing how he’s feeling.”
Curry’s status in the coming days is pivotal, as the Warriors are 12 days removed from Jimmy Butler III, their No. 2 scorer, going down with a season-ending torn right ACL.
In other news, the Warriors issued an update on Seth Curry, who appeared in only two games this season before being sidelined with sciatic nerve irritation. He has progress to doing on-court workouts and will be reevaluated in two weeks.
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