Steph Curry exits Warriors loss to Pistons with knee soreness

SAN FRANCISCO – Steph Curry went back to the locker room in the second half of the Warriors’ 131-124 loss to the Pistons and did not return to the floor on Friday night at Chase Center. 

Late in the third quarter, shortly after converting on a twisting and-1 layup, Curry limped back to the Warriors locker room at the 4:04 mark of the period. The Warriors trailed 108-95 going into the fourth quarter.

Deep reserve Pat Spencer checked in to start the fourth quarter, playing the minutes Curry usually does in that spot. The Warriors later ruled the superstar out with right knee soreness.

Steve Kerr sounded optimistic when asked about Curry during postgame media availability.

“I think he’s okay and i don’t think it’s anything major, but we’ll have an update tomorrow,” Kerr said. “It’s the knee that kept him out in Minneapolis, and it’s been nagging him the last week or so.”

Kerr did not know if Curry was going to undergo an MRI. In the Warriors locker room, Curry was seen walking around the room with a limp, but with no ice or brace of any sort on that right knee.

If he does not miss much time, that would obviously be great news for a Warriors team that recently lost Jimmy Butler III for the season with an ACL tear, and Jonathan Kuminga is in limbo with a sore knee of his own.

Curry is averaging 27.3 points, 4.9 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game while recently moving into 19th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list after scoring his 26,398th point against the Jazz on Wednesday.

With 4.5 makes per game, Curry leads the NBA in 3-pointers despite being a little over a month away from turning 38. He was also recently voted an All-Star game starter in his 12th appearance in the exhibition, which will take place in Inglewood in February.

He has missed 11 games this season, including Monday’s matchup in Minnesota with inflammation of that same right knee.

In 25 minutes played on Friday, Curry scored 23 points and made 4 of 10 3-pointers. Without their leader on the floor, Golden State found a way to remain competitive with the top team in the Eastern Conference.

But without Curry warping the defense, the Warriors just did not have the juice to pull out the improbable comeback.

Gui Santos and De’Athony Melton combined to score 34 points off the bench, while Draymond Green poured in 15 and dished out seven assists.

“Once we noticed he wasn’t going to come back, I told the guys it was time to go,” Melton said. “It’s really time to step up and be more aggressive. When stuff like that happens and the main guy goes down, the other guys have to rally. We’re all pros at the end of the day.”

Meanwhile, Cade Cunningham quarterbacked the Pistons offense expertly, scoring 29 and passing out 11 assists, many of those going to Jalen Duren, who scored 21 and grabbed 13 rebounds.

Steph Curry will have several days to rest his sore knee.

The Warriors do not play again until Tuesday, when they play Philadelphia in the last game before the trade deadline.