Stephen Curry, one of the best shooters in NBA history, had one of the worst nights of his career in the Warriors’ 108-118 loss to the Lakers. He finished with 13 points after posting a dreadful shooting stat, unworthy of his category, with 2/8 two-pointers, 2/9 three-pointers and 3/4 free throws in 32 minutes and missing all eight shots he attempted in the second half. Simply unrecognisable.
The Golden State star could accuse the injury that drags the thumb of his right hand, with which he throws, although he did not want to use that injury as an excuse: “It’s a shame, but it’s no excuse for anything,” he said. “I have to keep playing. I hit 8 of 8 against the Sixers. It’s something that’s there and bothers me from time to time. It’s one of those things that almost goes away and then bothers me again. I’m going to deal with it, but it shouldn’t affect me like it did tonight.”
Thumb injury and knee pain
To that thumb injury is added the pain he drags in his knees and that has already left him out of a game. “That’s going in the right direction,” Curry said of his knees. “It’s still something to follow with maintenance and all that kind of stuff. For me, it ticked all the boxes to be able to play. As far as how it responds from one game to the next, if that continues, we’ll see.”
Curry has been battling the thumb injury all month and trying not to get hit there. Before facing the Sixers on January 2, he was listed on the injury report with a sprained right thumb. He made all eight of his three-point attempts and scored 30 points in the win over Philadelphia. He also made seven three-pointers in a win at Minnesota on January 15.
But there are times when he can be seen shaking his right hand after taking a blow to the thumb during a game. The Lakers’ defense on him also contributed to his nightmare night. They did not allow Curry to score in the second half, topping the defense on him on seven of his eight shots (0/3 t2 and 0/5 t3).
Good defense by the Lakers on him
“Obviously, Steph didn’t shoot well,” said Lakers center Anthony Davis, who scored 36 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. “But I think a lot of that was our fault, our guards… who were constantly getting into the ball, which made things difficult for him. So I think we all played a role in defending Steph Curry that we tried to implement against him tonight.”
Obviously, Steph didn’t shoot well. But I think a lot of that was our fault, our guards… who constantly got into the ball, which made things difficult for him
Anthony Davis (Lakers player)
With the Warriors on a streak in which they play eight of nine games at home, Curry has said this period could “make or break” their season as his team tries to get back above 50% wins without the injured Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga. Green is considered week-to-week with a calf injury, and Kuminga is not close to returning after suffering a serious ankle injury three weeks ago.
I think every time I get hit, it’s like a step back. It’s just annoying, but obviously I’m going to play with it
Stephen Curry (Warriors player)
However, the most troublesome injury on the team is Curry’s thumb when he shoots. “I think every time I get hit, it’s like a step back,” he said. “It’s just annoying. Obviously I’m going to play with it, but it’s like as soon as I get to 100 percent I get another hit. Again, it’s not an excuse. I try not to worry about it when I’m on the court, but hopefully it will all clear up sooner rather than later.”