Kevin Durant scored 20 points, Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson added 19 and the Houston Rockets ended Golden State’s eight-game winning streak with a 115-108 victory on Wednesday night.
The Warriors played most of the game without Stephen Curry after the star left in the first quarter with right abdominal soreness and did not return. He had to have an MRI of his injury.
After the game, Warriors coach Steve Kerr admitted he was worried about the injury.
“The concern is great,” Kerr said. “But I have no idea how big it is.”
ESPN later reported that Curry could be out for up to a month.
The Warriors are 8-4 this season, despite numerous injuries. Even before Curry’s injury, Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody were missing due to knee injuries while center Kristaps Porziņģis stepped away from basketball completely due to an undisclosed health issue.
Curry missed significant time last season, during which the Warriors struggled mightily. But fellow veteran Draymond Green believes the team can better absorb his absence this season.
“The spirit of this team is better,” Green said after Wednesday’s game. “We’re more confident in who we are, what makes us a good team. I think it puts us in a better position to be successful without him, unlike last year. And obviously (Yaxel Lendeborg), having a guy that you can give the ball to and he can create an advantage. (Brandin Podziemski) is playing a lot better. … It puts us in a better position.”
Curry’s departure wasn’t the only notable event of the evening. Houston’s Marcus Smart was ejected late in the third quarter for hitting Golden State’s Charles Bassey. It’s unclear what exactly sparked the altercation, but Smart threw a punch that appeared to lightly hit Bassey’s nose.
Smart was immediately pushed back by two other Warriors and an official grabbed Bassey around the waist and pulled him away. Smart didn’t wait for officials to eject him, heading straight to the locker room after being pulled. The play was reviewed and he received a Flagrant 2 foul and was ejected before play resumed.
“I remember the first half, I was trying to set a screen (and) he grabbed my knee. He was playing dirty,” Bassey said after the game. “I think I was trying to get a rebound. He was grabbing my hand and I was trying to get back on defense. Then he got up on me and just swung. Obviously it was weak. I just think it was, honestly, fake toughness.
“It didn’t surprise me. I knew he was going to do something. I don’t think he was trying to play. I think he was trying to get out of the game. I think he was trying to relax. He wasn’t trying to play hoops. It was fake toughness.”
Golden State’s longest winning streak since 2022 ended on a night when they were running well below their season average of 120.4 points per game. Curry, who entered Wednesday ranked second in the NBA averaging 30.6 points per game, had just three points before exiting.
With Curry out, the Warriors were led by Lendeborg, who had 25 points and 10 rebounds. Brandin Podziemski added 22 points.
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