NEW YORK (AP) — Stephen Curry is traveling with Golden State on its road trip, which is the closest the Warriors get to good injury news these days.
Curry missed his 17th consecutive game Sunday night because of right knee pain and inflammation when the Warriors faced the New York Knicks to open their six-game trip. But the superstar guard was with the team at Madison Square Garden, where the Warriors revealed that two more players will be sidelined for at least a week.
“Just feels better when he’s in the room,” coach Steve Kerr said. “He was in our meeting today, he got a workout in this morning. So he’s trending in the right direction and he’s in good spirits, and just having him on the trip is important for our morale.”
Curry hasn’t played since Jan. 30 and is unlikely to play on the trip, with his next evaluation not expected until next weekend, when the Warriors will have already played five games. Kerr said he is still limited to just doing individual work.
He wishes the two-time NBA MVP was on the court. Golden State is 9-18 without Curry this season, including 5-11 in the current stretch entering Sunday.
“He’s just one of one and this is the longest stretch that I can remember being without him since I think it was 2020 when he missed the basically the whole season,” Kerr said, referring to when Curry broke his left hand early in the 2019-20 season and played in just five games. “So yeah, we miss him. We miss watching him.”
Already without Jimmy Butler because of a torn right ACL, the Warriors said that Curry’s brother, Seth, and veteran forward Al Horford both had MRI exams after their injuries. Seth Curry’s revealed a mild left groin strain and Horford’s a mild left calf strain. Both players will be evaluated again in a week.
The Warriors also rested Draymond Green, Kristaps Porzingis and De’Anthony Melton on the first night of back-to-back games, hoping all would play Monday at Washington. They gave Malevy Leons his first career start while using their 11th different starting lineup in the last 11 games.
To add an extra body, the Warriors signed center Omer Yurtseven to a 10-day contract Sunday.
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