The Golden State Warriors lost Game 3 of the NBA Finals 116-100 on Wednesday, but they may have avoided another significant loss in the process.
With just over four minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Steph Curry dove on the floor to grab a loose ball. Celtics center Al Horford went for the ball as well and landed hard on Curry’s left leg. Curry stayed down for a while in apparent pain. He was removed from the game with two minutes remaining and did not return.
Speaking to reporters postgame, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr gave an update on Curry’s status moving forward. Kerr also said that his decision to take Curry out of the game had nothing to do with what happened.
“I took [Curry] out with two minutes left because we were down by 14 points,” Kerr said. “The injury didn’t force him out of the game."
When asked about the seriousness of Curry’s injury, Kerr said: "We’ll know more tomorrow."
Although Kerr hedged, Curry was much more confident, saying he doesn't expect to miss Game 4.
The fact that Curry wasn’t taken out of the game due to his injury has to be encouraging for the Warriors, especially given how well the two-time MVP played in Game 3.
Curry led both teams with 31 points in 37 minutes, including 15 in the third quarter while in foul trouble. He made six of 11 3-point attempts and shot 12-of-22 from the field.
Without a fully healthy Curry, the Warriors could have a difficult time evening the series up in Game 4 on Friday.
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