Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry will miss his ninth game of the 2024-25 NBA season on Tuesday night against the Milwaukee Bucks due to an ongoing back injury.
After suffering a disappointing 114-105 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Monday night, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr alluded to the fact that Curry would likely miss the second night of this back-to-back because of the way he’s been carrying the team in recent weeks.
“He’s tired. Steph’s been carrying us for a month. He’s been amazing. We gotta get him some rest,” Kerr told reporters after the game. “You can see it. He doesn’t have his [usual] energy right now.”
Curry was listed as questionable on the Warriors’ injury report leading up to the start of Monday’s game against Denver and was ruled active right before tip due to a back strain he’s been battling. He finished the game with 20 points on just 6-of-21 shooting and 4-of-14 from 3-point range. Steph also had a season-high seven turnovers in this game, contributing to Golden State’s downfall on Monday night.
In response to Kerr’s comments about his back injury and being tired, Curry pointed out that he isn’t too concerned with how his back is feeling.
“I feel fine. Obviously, I didn’t play great at all, so everybody, including coach, is gonna try to figure out why,” the two-time MVP stated. “I feel like more so my back that I’ve been dealing with. See how that responds tomorrow (Tuesday), but otherwise, (I) feel pretty solid.”
This won’t be an injury that keeps Curry sidelined indefinitely, as the Warriors are treating it as a day-to-day injury for their star. The extra rest will be essential for his recovery, especially since Steph has played at least 30 minutes in nine straight games, carrying the Dubs’ offense every step of the way.
Fortunately for the Warriors, they have posted a 6-3 record without Curry this season. Their most recent victory without the star guard came on Jan. 28 when Golden State defeated the Utah Jazz 114-103 behind Brandin Podziemki’s 20 points off the bench. Podziemski, who has missed five straight games with a lower back strain, is listed as questionable for Tuesday night’s game.
Of course, this last win without Curry in January came before the trade deadline and Jimmy Butler’s arrival to the Warriors.
Butler has completely changed the energy and the mood surrounding this team for the better. His arrival has re-energized and sparked belief in the Warriors to find success down the stretch run of the season, and they have won 14 of the 16 games with Butler on the court.
When asked about Curry after Monday’s loss to the Nuggets, Butler claimed that he needs to do a better job at taking pressure off Steph.
“It’s okay to be tired. That’s on myself and that’s on us as a unit to pick up the slack for him,” Butler said. “As [much as] everybody wants to think that he’s superhuman, he’s not. He is our leader, and we must protect him at all times. That’s on myself for sure. But everybody else [has] to make sure that we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing to give him a break.”
The Warriors will enter Tuesday night’s game in San Francisco against the Bucks with a 39-29 record, currently tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the 6-seed in the Western Conference playoff picture. A win over Milwaukee would push Golden State a half-game above Minnesota in the standings and just three games behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the 5-seed in the conference.
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