Stephen Curry Injury Update: 2-Time NBA MVP Diagnosed With Broken Left Hand After Leaving Game Wednesday
An already difficult start to the 2019/2020 NBA season for the Golden State Warriors turned into a nightmare on Wednesday night when two-time league MVP Stephen Curry suffered what the team said was a broken left hand, according to a report by NBA.com.
The injury came in a game against the visiting Phoenix Suns at Chase Center in San Francisco, marking only the second game that the five-time NBA championship-winning franchise has played in its new arena. With 8:31 remaining in the third quarter, Curry left his feet while driving to the basket when he collided with Suns center Aron Baynes and crashed to the floor.
As he broke his fall with his hands, the six-foot-10-inch, 260-pound Baynes fell directly on Curry’s left hand.
Curry is now set to undergo a CT scan to determine if surgery is necessary on the broken hand, according to NBC Sports reporter Kerith Burke, via Twitter.
“A cast on Steph’s broken left hand could be an option too,” Burke wrote, adding that there is currently no timetable for Curry’s return.
The Warriors have already lost Kevin Durant to free agency, as the forward joined the Brooklyn Nets this summer. Additionally, Klay Thompson remains out with a torn ACL.
Steph Curry heads to the locker room with an apparent wrist injury after taking a scary fall. pic.twitter.com/xt4fgp6Y4U
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 31, 2019
The game was already an ordeal for Golden State, who lost in the 2019 NBA Finals to the Toronto Raptors — the Warriors’ fifth finals appearance in a row. Despite playing on their home court, the Warriors trailed Phoenix before the half by 30 points. The game ended with Phoenix defeating the defending Western Conference champs, 121-110.
Even with Curry in the starting five, Golden State dropped its first two games of the season, recovering to beat the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday before falling to Phoenix two days later. Their 1-3 record is their slowest start to a season since Steve Kerr took over as coach in 2014, and worst since 2009 when they opened the season at 1-5, according to Basketball-Reference.
The Warriors have also lost small forward Andre Iguodala, trading the 2015 NBA Finals MVP to the Memphis Grizzlies, and effectively breaking up the team that won three titles in the past five seasons. Now, without Curry, the team’s leadership role now falls to 23-year-old D’Angelo Russell, in his first season with the Warriors.
However, as recently as last week, Russell was rumored to be on the trading block for Golden State. The former Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets guard appeared to have no place in the Warriors backcourt as long as Curry and Thompson were healthy. But with both of those star players now sidelined, Russell’s place appears assured — at least for now.
