Steph Curry will miss the Warriors’ Thursday night game against the Thunder, the team announced Wednesday.
Curry, who has a sore right knee — a vestige of hard contact with the floor late in Sunday’s Warriors loss — does not have structural damage and his stay on the bench is expected to be short. He underwent an MRI on Tuesday.
Thursday will mark the second missed game Curry due to this injury. The Warriors lost 104-101 on Tuesday to the Timberwolves and are on a four-game losing streak that dropped them to 6-6.
The absence of Curry, the Warriors’ leading scorer and an early-season MVP candidate, stymies the Dubs’ offense. Yet after Tuesday’s game, the Warriors have a better net rating (points per 100 possessions) without Curry on the floor this season, thanks to strong defensive play.
Last season, the Warriors had a net rating of minus-2.34 points per 100 possessions without Curry on the floor. The Warriors were plus-5.74 with him playing.
Over the last three seasons, the Warriors’ net rating with Curry on the floor is plus-7.22. Without him, Golden State is minus-0.89, and their record in games without him is 21-23.
Without Curry on Tuesday, the Warriors’ leading scorer was rookie Brandin Podziemski, who had 23 points — the most of any non-Curry Warrior this season.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr promised after Tuesday’s game that Podziemski, the Warriors’ first-round pick in the most recent NBA Draft, would become a regular rotation player.
Another game without Curry will ensure that Kerr will not struggle to find the rookie minutes.
Curry may not be the only Warriors star to miss the game, as Draymond Green is likely to face a suspension after placing Wolves center Rudy Gobert in a chokehold during an altercation Tuesday night.