Stephen Curry exited the Warriors’ 125-119 loss to the Indiana Pacers Wednesday night with a left shoulder injury.
Curry, who carried the team all night, tweaked his shoulder while trying to strip Jalen Smith at the 2:04 mark of the third quarter. Curry was in severe pain as he grabbed his left shoulder. Coach Steve Kerr called a timeout, and the Warriors superstar went straight to the locker room.
The Warriors announced in the fourth quarter that he would not return to the game. Curry finished the night with 38 points while shooting 11 for 19 from the field and 5 for 10 from 3-point land. He also had seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals and a blocked shot.
Curry did it all for the Warriors from the start. He scored 15 of the Warriors’ 26 first-quarter points to keep them within one of the Pacers.
After a strong first few minutes, things started to fall apart for Golden State.
The Warriors' defense was in shambles, which allowed the Pacers to score in transition and nail open 3s. That was especially notable in an explosive second quarter during which the Pacers outscored the Warriors 47-28. The Pacers went 16 for 24 from the field and 9 for 13 from deep in the final 12 minutes of the first half. None of the Warriors — except Curry — had answers for the Pacers. They looked sluggish and out of sorts.
Curry scored the Warriors’ final 10 points of the first half, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer. He was hunched over on the court before trailing his teammates into the locker room moments later. Exhaustion and frustration seem to set in.
But something clicked during the break. The Warriors found new life in the second half as they flipped the script on the Pacers. During a 10-0 run, Curry did his best quarterback impression, passing the ball down the court to Jordan Poole, who made a transition layup to make it 77-64.
Later on, Curry was fouled on a difficult put-back basket. He made the and-1 to make it 83-80 with 4:16 left in the third. But that was the closest the Warriors would get to the Pacers, who responded with back-to-back 3s.
Curry remained aggressive on both ends before his injury sidelined him.
And then, without Curry, the Warriors weren’t able to muster enough offense and stops to win one for their injured superstar. A frustrated Green received two technical fouls for arguing with officials and was ejected at the 8:10 mark of the fourth.
The Warriors came out of the locker room rejuvenated, scoring a quick six points to start chipping away at the Pacers’ lead. Curry tossed a touchdown pass to Poole to make it 77-64 Pacers.
Draymond Green was ejected at the 8:10 mark of the fourth after receiving two technical fouls for arguing with the officials over calls.
The Warriors got within three points with 1:25 left in the game but they ultimately fell short.
While Golden State’s road issues persist — the reigning champs are 2-13 away from home — all the focus is on Curry’s health after the latest close loss for the 14-15 Warriors.
