Stephen Curry called it precautionary. If it were a playoff game — or maybe even a game not against a tanking team — he could have stayed in and kept playing.
But as it was, Curry sat out the final 18 minutes of a game Friday against Atlanta after rolling his right ankle — the ankle that sidelined him for 11 games when he sprained it in December — when at the end of the first quarter he went up and then came down on the foot of Zaza Pachulia.
Curry returned to the game after that, playing in the second quarter and the start of the third, scoring 15 of his 28 points after the injury. Postgame, Curry tried to play it down — and said he’s still golfing at Augusta National while on the road. Chris Haynes of ESPN had the details.“I came back in the second [quarter], felt pretty good,” Curry said after the game. “It got a little stiff at halftime. I didn’t think I would have to sit out coming into the third quarter, but sometimes the power of [team trainer] Chelsea [Lane] and coach [Steve] Kerr wins out, and we just want to be precautionary and safe.”
To further illustrate how well he must be feeling, league sources said that Curry and Klay Thompson will be playing at Augusta National Golf Club on Saturday. After the round, they will take a private plane back to the Bay Area.
Curry is an avid golfer with a handicap around zero. Klay Thompson should not place bets during the round.
The Warriors are off until Tuesday when they host the Nets.
The Warriors and Rockets are in a tie at the top of the Western Conference, with Houston having played two fewer games and being one game ahead in the loss column. The Rockets are on a 14-game win streak heading into a nationally televised game against the Celtics Saturday.