The Golden State Warriors will face a difficult choice in risking Stephen Curry playing or retaining their No. 1 star for the upcoming Play-in series.
The Golden State Warriors have the right to self-determine their position in the Western rankings. A victory against the New Orleans Pelicans on April 13 will help them be in the top half of the Play-in Tournament group, possessing great advantages in the race to get Playoffs tickets. But not only did they lose to the Pelicans 109-114 at home at Chase Center, Golden State also experienced a small loss when their top star, Stephen Curry, was injured.
The NBA 3-point record holder rolled his ankle with 5 minutes and 31 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Right now the Warriors are trailing by 5 points.
Stephen Curry clearly expressed discomfort and pain during the team’s conference time after being injured, adding emotion to the Warriors star’s mixed day.
He had a good feeling from outside the 3-point range with 7-12 3PT but also made many mistakes in ball retention (7 turnovers), contributing to the Warriors being behind deep in the first half of the match. Even so, Stephen still endured the pain and continued playing in the hope of coming back with his teammates.
He even scored 13 points out of 33 points in the whole match in just 5 minutes at the end of the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, this effort was not enough, especially when CJ McCollum played so well on the New Orleans side.
Last month, Stephen Curry rolled this ankle and had to miss 3 games. He stayed in the dressing room for more than 2 hours for treatment before coming out to meet the press. Here, he updated his injury situation and brought some positive information to fans.
“My ankle was turned over. But to be a little positive, compared to the number and severity of my previous ankle turns, this time it was a bit mild. I think I’ll be fine, but we’ll have to wait and see,” Stephen Curry said.
This defeat of the Golden State Warriors caused them to fall back to 10th place in the West. The Los Angeles Lakers, thanks to their victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, have climbed to 8th place. The current 9th place belongs to the Sacramento Kings, who lost to the Phoenix Suns despite having a 16-point lead at one point.
Warriors still have a chance to advance to have a greater advantage in the Play-in match, specifically 9th place (home field advantage in series 1) and higher than 8th place (2 kills). However, the right to self-determination is no longer in the hands of Stephen Curry and his teammates.
In the final match, the entire Western NBA will play at the same time at 2:30 a.m. on Monday, April 15. Golden State will meet the Utah Jazz, the Lakers visit the Pelicans and the Kings host the Trail Blazers.
If the Warriors win and both the Kings and Lakers lose, Golden State will jump to 8th place. If the Kings lose and the Warriors and Lakers both win, Golden State will climb to 9th place.
However, we cannot rule out the possibility that the Golden State Warriors will be perfectionists, retain their core team (including Stephen Curry) and let fate decide their opponents in the NBA Play-in Tournament.
“ It’s something we’ve been thinking about but haven’t decided yet. We will finalize the plan tomorrow or right before the match starts ,” coach Steve Kerr shared.