Stephen Curry

Injury Notes: Curry, Green, Johnson, Morant, Booker, Green, Gafford, Williams, Poole

Good news for the Warriors. Stephen Curry is no longer on the injury report, according to ESPN’s Anthony Slater (Twitter link). Curry hasn’t played since Nov. 26 due to a quad injury.

The future Hall of Famer will suit up against the Timberwolves on Friday but two Golden State frontcourt players won’t be available. Draymond Green will miss the game for personal reasons, while Al Horford continues to be sidelined by a nerve issue in his back.

Here’s more injury-related news:

  • The Wizards list four prominent players — Bilal Coulibaly, Corey Kispert, Alex Sarr and Khris Middleton — as out for their game against Cleveland on Friday (Twitter link). However, one key player isn’t on the injury report. Lottery pick Tre Johnson, who has been sidelined since Nov. 21 due to a hip flexor, is expected to suit up.
  • The Grizzlies list seven players as out for their against Utah on Friday. Star guard Ja Morant isn’t one of them. Morant is considered questionable to play. A right calf strain has sidelined him since Nov. 15.
  • Suns star guard Devin Booker will return either Sunday against the Lakers or next Thursday against the Warriors, according to Arizona radio host John Gambadoro (Twitter link). Booker hasn’t played since Dec. 1 due to a groin injury. Jalen Green, who has only played two games this season due to a hamstring strain, is tracking toward a return just after Christmas, Gambadoro adds.
  • The Mavericks list big man Daniel Gafford as doubtful to play against Brooklyn on Friday due to right ankle injury management, Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal tweets.
  • The Trail Blazers’ Robert Williams (illness) and Yang Hansen (facial contusion) won’t play against New Orleans tonight, the team’s PR department tweets. Both players were originally listed as questionable.
  • Jordan Poole is available to play for the Pelicans tonight, the team’s PR department tweets. He has been out since Nov. 4 due to a left quad strain.

Warriors Notes: Defense, Curry, Melton, Kuminga, Spencer

The Warriors have the NBA’s top defense over the past two weeks and rank third in the league for the season, writes Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle (subscription required). Golden State has held its last three opponents under 100 points and has shown significant improvement in that area since Draymond Green blasted the defensive effort following a November 26 loss to Houston.

The team doesn’t have much size on defense, but Gordon notes that it’s able to compensate by wearing down opponents with ball pressure and frequently switching between man-to-man and zone. The addition of De’Anthony Melton, who made his season debut last week after recovering from an ACL tear, has given the Warriors another capable on-ball-defender.

“We’re taking away some of the easy stuff. Some of that is taking better care of the ball,” coach Steve Kerr said. “When you’re in control of the game, you just feel like your defense is set up. Overall, we’re doing a better job containing dribble penetration and just helping each other and playing with a lot of energy.”

The offense ranks just 22nd, which Kerr attributes to a lingering turnover problem, but scoring from unexpected sources has helped the Warriors survive some early-season injuries. Gordon notes that backup point guard Pat Spencer is averaging 16 points and 5.8 assists while shooting 59.1% from the field over the past four games while Stephen Curry is sidelined with a quad contusion and muscle strain.

“He’s a really good downhill pick-and-roll player, which is a powerful force,” Kerr said of Spencer. “You need that type of action, especially in the modern game with the floor spacing. And he’s a good passer.”

There’s more on the Warriors:

  • Curry was able to participate in a full scrimmage on Wednesday, according to Anthony Slater of ESPN (Twitter link). No decision has been made on his status for Friday’s game against Minnesota, but Kerr said it looks promising that the two-time MVP will be able to play.
  • The team will continue to be cautious with Melton, who has logged 21 and 17 minutes in his two games since returning, Slater adds (Twitter link). Kerr plans to keep Melton in that range until his conditioning returns and probably won’t use him on both ends of back-to-backs.
  • Kerr addressed the status of Jonathan Kuminga, who will be become eligible to be traded on January 15 (Twitter video link from Slater). Speculation that Kuminga will be shipped out increased after he received a DNP in Sunday’s game at Chicago. “I can imagine it’s not easy for him,” Kerr said. “We talked about the situation. My desire is for JK to be the best player he can be, regardless of where he ends up, whether it’s here or elsewhere.”
  • Spencer, who was considered one of best lacrosse players in NCAA history, talked about why he chose to pursue a career in basketball in a video posted at NBC Sports Bay Area.

Warriors Notes: Horford, Green, Curry, Richard, A. Davis

Al Horford was excited about the opportunity to join the Warriors, but his first few weeks with the team haven’t worked out as planned. The veteran center has only been available for 13 of Golden State’s first 23 games and is averaging 5.6 points and 4.4 rebounds in 21.5 minutes per night. He admits to Nick Friedell of The Athletic that he’s disappointed with his performance so far.

“I’m not where I want to be,” Horford said. “I would say I haven’t been very good. I understand that there’s a lot of work ahead of me, there’s more that I need to do, and I need to be better, and I feel like I will. But right now, I’m not where I want to be.”

Injuries have played a part in Horford’s early-season frustrations, as he just returned Thursday after missing about two weeks with sciatica. Golden State isn’t using him in both ends of back-to-backs, just like Boston’s policy over the past two years, to avoid putting too much strain on his body during the long season. After playing 18 minutes on Thursday at Philadelphia, Horford said he believes he’s making progress physically.

“I felt pretty good tonight,” he said. “Obviously, not playing or anything, that’s always challenging, so trying to get my legs back under me, but it’s just nice to get back on the floor. Things didn’t go our way tonight, the game didn’t go our way, I’m still trying to find myself as well, but I was encouraged with some of the things tonight.”

There’s more on the Warriors:

  • Horford will miss Saturday’s game at Cleveland as part of a lengthy injured list that also includes Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, Seth Curry and De’Anthony Melton, according to Anthony Slater of ESPN (Twitter link). He adds that there’s optimism about Green, who injured his right foot during Thursday’s game and left the arena in a walking boot. Slater states that Green was able to do some shooting on his own after this morning’s shootaround (Twitter link).
  • Coach Steve Kerr said Stephen Curry is making progress in his recovery from a thigh contusion and “it’s realistic” that he could return Friday against Minnesota (Twitter link).
  • At 22, Will Richard was viewed as old for a prospect heading into this year’s draft, but he believes he benefited from playing four seasons in college, writes Kenzo Fukuda of ClutchPoints. Richard has been a surprise contributor for Golden State after being selected with the 56th pick. “I feel like those four years at Florida helped me out with my experience,” he said. “I feel like it helped me adjust much quicker than if I were an 18-year-old freshman or something like that. So no knock to the guys that get drafted who are younger than me. … I know my journey is different from everyone else, so I’m happy how it went.”
  • Rumors that the Warriors are among the teams pursuing Mavericks big man Anthony Davis are untrue, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, who tweets that Golden State hasn’t contacted Dallas about a potential deal and doesn’t plan to during the season.

Stephen Curry Expected To Miss Three More Games

Injured star Stephen Curry won’t travel with the Warriors as they embark on a three-game road trip that begins on Thursday in Philadelphia, head coach Steve Kerr told reporters on Tuesday night.

That means that in addition to missing Thursday’s game against the Sixers, Curry will be unavailable for a weekend back-to-back in Cleveland on Saturday and Chicago on Sunday. After that trip, Golden State will have four full days off before hosting the Timberwolves on December 12.

“It was a long shot for him to play in the back-to-back and we don’t play again until (next) Friday,” Kerr explained, per Ali Thanawalla of NBC Sports Bay Area. “So it just makes perfect sense for him to stay home with (director of sports medicine and performance) Rick (Celebrini), get the rehab done here, get his work in and hopefully be ready for Minnesota next Friday.”

Curry exited last Wednesday’s loss to Houston with an injury that the Warriors later diagnosed as a quad contusion and muscle strain. He was initially ruled out for Saturday’s game against New Orleans and Tuesday’s matchup with the defending champion Thunder.

The Warriors beat the Pelicans over the weekend and put up a valiant effort on Tuesday against an Oklahoma City team that has been dominating the league this season, but couldn’t pull off the second-half comeback without Curry and star forward Jimmy Butler, who exited the game due to left knee soreness, as Anthony Slater of ESPN writes.

It’s unclear whether Butler, who was initially listed as questionable to play vs. OKC due to a glute contusion, will be available on Thursday vs. Philadelphia, Slater adds.

“I don’t know anything more,” Kerr said after the game when asked about Butler’s injury. “I didn’t even know (he was out) until I was drawing up a play with a minute to go (before the second half) and somebody came in the huddle and said Jimmy is down.”

The 11-11 Warriors, who have an overall net rating of +0.7 so far this season, are at +6.3 when Butler is on the court, +3.6 when Curry is playing, and +10.6 when they’re on the floor together.

Pacific Notes: Doncic, Reaves, LeBron, Schröder, Curry, Richard

Luka Doncic faced the Mavericks again Friday night, but the game lacked the drama of last season’s matchup, writes Dan Woike of The Athletic. Nearly 10 months have passed for Doncic to process the unexpected trade to the Lakers, and the man who made it, Dallas general manager Nico Harrison, has already been fired. So with the emotional stakes lowered, Doncic concentrated on business and delivered 35 points, five rebounds and 11 assists in L.A.’s 129-119 victory.

“I would say it’s a little bit easier now,” Doncic said. “But like I said, games against Dallas always have some special meaning to me. I still have a lot of friends there. It’s always special. It’ll always be special for me.”

The spotlight also belonged to Austin Reaves, who has become one of the NBA’s best offensive players in the midst of a contract year. He led all scorers with 38 points, and Woike suggests he might be headed for his first All-Star appearance.

“I think he’s been one of the best basketball players in this league, just the way he scores, he makes a place for others in the game,” Doncic said before taking a playful jab at his teammate. “It’s very good. I’m just happy he’s on my team. And that’s probably the last compliment I ever give him.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • The Lakers are listing LeBron James as questionable for Sunday’s game with New Orleans due to left foot injury management, relays Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link). It’s the first night of a back-to-back for L.A., which hosts Phoenix on Monday. Marcus Smart, who didn’t play Friday due to back spasms, is doubtful.
  • Kings guard Dennis Schröder underwent an MRI that showed he has a mild hip flexor strain, tweets James Ham of The Kings Beat. Schröder, who recently lost his starting job, is considered day-to-day and is questionable for Sunday’s game with Memphis.
  • The Warriors have the league’s worst offensive rating without Stephen Curry, who will miss at least a week with a right quad contusion. Anthony Slater of the Athletic shares comments from coach Steve Kerr about the challenges of scoring without his star guard.
  • Will Richard‘s low turnover rate has helped him claim a spot in the Warriors‘ starting and closing lineups, notes Scott Ostler of The San Francisco Chronicle. The 56th pick in this year’s draft has quickly earned a major rotation role as well as his coach’s confidence. “You can see it,” Kerr said, “he’s just in the right spot, the right time. He has a lot of confidence, he’s not afraid to let it fly. Never turns it over, just connects the game, he makes the game easier for everyone else. He’s kind of wise beyond his years. I’ve got 100% trust in him.”

Stephen Curry To Miss Multiple Games With Quad Injury

2:57 pm: The Warriors have confirmed that Curry has a quad contusion and muscle strain, announcing (via Twitter) that he’ll be reevaluated in one week.


10:46 am: The Warriors expect Curry will miss about a week “or a little more,” sources tell Slater and Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The sense is that Curry has avoided a serious injury, but his return will depend on how the quad responds to treatment, Charania adds.

Based on that timeline, Curry figures to miss Saturday’s game vs. New Orleans and Tuesday’s matchup with Oklahoma City, but should have a chance to return during a three-game road trip that begins next Thursday in Philadelphia.


7:52 am: After checking out of Wednesday’s game vs. Houston and limping to the locker room with 35 seconds remaining, Warriors star Stephen Curry has received an initial diagnosis of a right quad contusion, writes ESPN’s Anthony Slater.

Curry will undergo an MRI to confirm whether that diagnosis is accurate and to determine the severity of the injury.

The two-time MVP was in clear pain after a pair of fourth-quarter collisions, Slater notes. Curry was knocked to the floor while defending Amen Thompson with 3:24 left in the game (video link via NBA.com), then ended up on the court again less than a minute later when he drove to the basket and was called for an offensive foul (video link).

Head coach Steve Kerr told reporters after the game that he was relieved the injury was to Curry’s quad rather than “an ankle or a knee,” but he admitted that it would present a challenge for the Warriors if their leading scorer has to sit out at all. And according to Nick Friedell of The Athletic, the sense in the locker room was that the injury will likely cost Curry at least a couple games.

“If Steph has to miss [time]?” Kerr said, per Slater. “It obviously changes everything — our rotations, how we’re playing, who we are playing through. We’ll see.”

Curry was one of two guards who exited Wednesday’s game early due to an injury. The Warriors announced during the second half that Gary Payton II, who played five minutes in the first two quarters, wouldn’t return to action due to a sprained left ankle.

The Rockets ended up pulling out a 104-100 victory, with the Warriors falling to .500 (10-10) as a result of a fourth loss in their past five games. Veterans Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green expressed frustration in their post-game media sessions with the way the team has been playing, especially on defense.

“We don’t box out,” Butler said (Twitter video link via Slater). “We don’t go with the scouting report. We let anybody do whatever they want — open shots, get into the paint, free throws. It’s just sad. … A lot of our hustle is dictated upon our offense. When we’re making shots, oh man, we’re celebrating, we’re cheering, doing all of those things. When we’re not or when the game’s not going our way, we put our head down and we mope and then we don’t box out, we don’t get back, we foul. We do all the bad things.”

When informed of Butler’s criticism of the defense, Green interjected to reply, “Our defense is s–t,” despite the fact that the Warriors technically rank in the top 10 in defensive rating.

“It’s not necessarily the numbers,” Green said (Twitter video link). “How do you feel when you out there? It’s just letdown after letdown. It’s bigger than the numbers. Defense is about demeanor. If there’s letdown, it kills your demeanor, it kills your bravado. Then you’re just a soft team.

“… It requires individuals – all of us as individuals – to take on your challenge,” Green continued. “If you take on your challenge, then we can make the team thing work. The only way the team’s going to work is if we take on individual challenges. We are individually – I know everybody likes to twist words – I said WE are individually f—ing awful.”

Pacific Notes: LeBron, Curry, Warriors, Sabonis, Livers

Lakers forward LeBron James only took seven shots from the floor in his season debut on Tuesday vs. Utah, but he racked up 12 assists in a 140-126 victory and extended his NBA-record streak of double-digit scoring performances to 1,293 consecutive games, writes ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. Most importantly, James played 30 minutes after missing the first month of the season due to sciatica and didn’t experience any setbacks.

“The pace tested me, but I was happy with the way I was able to go with the guys,” James said. “As the game went on, my wind got a lot better. Caught my second wind, caught my third wind. Rhythm is still coming back, obviously. First game in almost seven months, so everything that happened tonight was to be expected.”

For a separate ESPN story, McMenamin spoke to 10 sources inside and outside of the Lakers’ organization to get a sense of what they’re monitoring with James back on the floor, including how the return of the four-time MVP will impact the team’s role players and whether the high-scoring duo of Luka Doncic (34.6 PPG) and Austin Reaves (28.1 PPG) will keep rolling. Not all of those sources were in agreement on certain topics, including Deandre Ayton‘s fit alongside James, McMenamin notes.

“Ayton should benefit the most out of LeBron back,” an Eastern Conference executive said. “LeBron makes people look good. [He’ll feed Ayton] lobs and dump-offs at the rim.”

“I imagine Deandre’s going to be a problem. He’s just not smart enough of a player,” a Western Conference exec countered. “And the inconsistent effort, LeBron usually has issues with, to say the least.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific Division:

  • Stephen Curry (right ankle soreness) will sit out the Warriors‘ game vs. Miami on Wednesday after tweaking his ankle a couple times during the team’s recent road trip, tweets Anthony Slater of ESPN. Golden State could end up very shorthanded on the second night of a back-to-back — Al Horford (left toe injury management) and Jonathan Kuminga (bilateral patellar tendonitis) are both out, while Jimmy Butler (right low back strain), Draymond Green (illness), and Buddy Hield (illness) are all considered questionable to play.
  • The Kings will be without center Domantas Sabonis on Wednesday vs. Oklahoma City due to left knee soreness, tweets Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. It will be the fourth missed game of the season for Sabonis, who has also dealt with hamstring and rib injuries.
  • Back in the NBA this fall after a lengthy absence due to hip problems, forward Isaiah Livers is grateful to be playing a role for the Suns and isn’t concerned about keeping track of his active games, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. A player on a two-way contract can be on his team’s active roster for a maximum of 50 games — Livers is at 11 so far. “I’m not counting,” Livers said. “I’m taking it one day at a time. We all know my story. I’m just blessed and grateful to put a uniform back on and help an organization win games. We’ll worry about the rest later.”

And-Ones: LeBron, Curry, Team USA, 2026 Draft, Beverley, More

Asked by Steve Nash on the Mind the Game podcast about the possibility of suiting up for Team USA at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, LeBron James made it clear that’s not in his plans, while Stephen Curry indicated he’s a long shot too, per Anthony Slater of ESPN.

“You already know my answer,” James said. “I will be watching it.”

“God willing, I still have the choice and physical option where I could impact the team,” Curry said. “Never say never, but I highly doubt it. Highly doubt it.”

James and Curry teamed up for Team USA at the Olympics for the first time in 2024, defeating the hosts (France) in Paris in the gold medal game after pulling off a dramatic come-from-behind win in the semifinal against Serbia.

“We can’t top what we just did,” James said. “How we gonna top those last two games?”

We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • Kansas guard Darryn Peterson is the first player off the board in the first 2026 mock draft published by Jeremy Woo of ESPN. Woo has BYU’s AJ Dybantsa at No. 2, Duke’s Cameron Boozer at No. 3, and Tennessee’s Nate Ament at No. 4, with UNC’s Caleb Wilson rounding out the top five.
  • More details have emerged related to Patrick Beverley‘s arrest for assault, with TMZ reporting that the former NBA guard is accused of punching his sister in the eye and choking her for between 20 and 30 seconds. Beverley, who has been out of the NBA since the 2023/24 season, was arrested on Friday and was charged with assault of a family/household member.
  • After parting ways with the Brisbane Bullets earlier this season for personal reasons, former NBA guard Javon Freeman-Liberty reengaged with the team last week and has now re-signed with the Bullets for the rest of the 2025/26 season, reports Olgun Uluc of ESPN (Twitter links). Freeman-Liberty, a former DePaul standout, appeared in 22 NBA regular season games for Toronto in 2023/24.
  • While the Mavericks had hoped to acquire Dennis Smith Jr.‘s G League returning rights, the Wisconsin Herd – the Bucks‘ affiliate – still holds those rights and is hopeful of having Smith join them soon, league sources tell Marc Stein (Twitter link).

Draymond Green Challenges Warriors’ Commitment To Winning

The Warriors finished last season 23-8 after the Jimmy Butler trade, then opened the 2025/26 campaign with four wins in their first five games. However, they’ve since dropped five of seven, prompting forward Draymond Green to suggest after Tuesday’s blowout loss to Oklahoma City that Golden State isn’t taking the same team-first approach that was so successful down the stretch last season.

“I think everybody was committed to winning [back then] and doing that any way possible,” Green said, per Anthony Slater of ESPN. “Right now, it doesn’t feel that way.

“… I think everyone has a personal agenda in this league,” Green continued. “But you have to make those personal agendas work within the team confines. If it doesn’t work, you kind of got to get rid of your agenda or eventually the agenda is the cause of someone getting rid of you.”

Green didn’t single out any specific teammates who he believes are letting “personal agendas” get in the way of winning — when Slater approached him for follow-up questions after his general media session, the former Defensive Player of the Year simply said that “everyone” has to take some responsibility for the team’s recent slide.

However, as Slater points out, Brandin Podziemski spoke repeatedly before the season about his career ambitions, including his goal to be “better than” Stephen Curry, while a desire for a more significant role was a major factor in Jonathan Kuminga‘s restricted free agency standoff with the Warriors. So when a veteran gripes about “personal agendas,” those younger players tend to fall under the spotlight first, Slater notes.

After a strong start to the season, Kuminga has slowed down in the past couple weeks, shooting just 44.4% from the floor (25.0% on three-pointers) and committing more than three turnovers per game, including five in 24 minutes on Tuesday. Head coach Steve Kerr and Butler have both spoken about a need to take better care of the ball and not trying to do too much with it, as Slater relays.

“Myself, I can’t have turnovers,” Butler said. “JK can’t have turnovers. … We’re the ones that have to keep our turnovers down.”

While Green’s comments presumably weren’t aimed at his longtime teammate Curry, the star guard was willing to shoulder his share of the blame after struggling in his return to action on Tuesday after a three-game absence due to an illness. In 20 minutes, Curry scored just 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting and committed five fouls. He was a -23 in a game the team lost by 24 points.

“I kind of fell into [the agenda thing] a little bit myself,” Curry said. “Trying to get myself going. But the bigger issue when you lose is you start to look around and figure out what’s the issue. Commitment to winning is just running the floor, rebounding, taking care of the basketball. It’s not really about shots going in or not.”

All six of the Warriors’ losses so far this season have come on the road — they’re 5-0 at home. However, they’ll get no help from the schedule in the near future. They’ll play in San Antonio on Wednesday and Friday, New Orleans on Sunday, Orlando next Tuesday, and Miami next Wednesday before finally returning to the Bay Area for a five-game home stand.

Injury Notes: Beal, Giddey, Harris, Adebayo, Curry

The Clippers are concerned that Bradley Beal could miss extended time with a left hip injury, head coach Tyronn Lue told reporters prior to Monday’s game vs. Atlanta (Twitter link via Justin Russo). Beal is currently undergoing tests to determine the severity of the injury, which was initially described as left hip soreness, tweets Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints.

According to Kellan Olson of ArizonaSports.com (Twitter link), Beal said on Friday in Phoenix that he’s been dealing with an unspecified injury since last season, when he was a member of the Suns. The 32-year-old has battled a variety of health issues over the past several years, having played between 40 and 60 games each of the past six seasons.

In other Clippers news, John Collins received his first start with his new team on Monday. Lue said he plans to stick with Collins in the starting lineup “for a while,” per Russo (Twitter video link).

We’ve been struggling rebounding the basketball, and career, statistically, he’s been a really good rebounder,” Lue said of the Collins, who will be an unrestricted free agent next summer if he doesn’t sign a veteran extension.

Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

  • While Josh Giddey missed Monday’s loss to San Antonio, head coach Billy Donovan said the Bulls don’t have any long-term concerns about his right ankle sprain, as Jamal Collier of ESPN relays. “We don’t feel like it’s anything too severe with his ankle,” Donovan said. “He didn’t have really much swelling after the game [Saturday]. He got some [treatment] yesterday and was just a little bit uncomfortable today at shootaround.” Giddey is considered day-to-day, according to Donovan.
  • Pistons forward Tobias Harris is making progress from his high right ankle sprain, but there’s still no official timetable for his return, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said on Monday (Twitter links via Hunter Patterson of The Athletic and Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press). Harris, who missed his fifth straight game tonight against Washington, will be a free agent in 2026.
  • Five-time All-Defensive big man Bam Adebayo was ruled out for the third consecutive Heat game on Monday vs. Cleveland, notes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (via Twitter). The 28-year-old forward/center was diagnosed with a sprained left big toe on Thursday after undergoing an MRI. Adebayo is considered day-to-day.
  • Warriors superstar Stephen Curry (illness) was out again on Sunday during the win over Indiana, but he’s not on the injury report ahead of Tuesday’s game at Oklahoma City, as Anthony Slater of ESPN tweets. The 37-year-old guard contracted the illness last week and wound up missing three games, Slater writes for ESPN.com.