Stephen Curry Out With Oblique Tear as Warriors Brace for Nearly a Month Without Their Star After Rockets Loss

SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors will be without Stephen Curry for at least two weeks, and possibly much longer, after the star guard suffered a right oblique abdominal tear.

The team announced the diagnosis Thursday, a day after Curry left Golden State's 115-108 loss to the Houston Rockets in the first quarter.

"The MRI confirmed that Curry has an oblique abdominal tear. He will be reevaluated in two (2) weeks," the Warriors said in a statement.

Absence Could Stretch to a Month

Two weeks is only the date of Curry's first re-evaluation, not a return date, and early reporting suggests he could be out much longer.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Curry is expected to miss around a month.

"I'm told that Stephen Curry is actually going to be sidelined for closer to one month with this oblique abdominal tear that he suffered," Charania said.

Charania also reported that the Warriors are bracing for Curry to miss a double-digit number of games. Even on the team's official timeline, he will miss at least the next several games and won't return before Thanksgiving.

Coach Steve Kerr said in a radio appearance that the MRI showed a full oblique tear. He added that the team was relieved the injury was not worse.

Injury Ends Hot Streak

Curry seemed to get hurt midway through the first quarter in Houston. He looked uncomfortable after hitting a 3-pointer, tried to play through it for a few minutes, then went to the locker room. He was ruled out with right abdominal soreness and left the arena for an MRI.

Without him, the Warriors' eight-game winning streak ended. That run had followed an 0-3 start and pushed Golden State to 8-4, sixth in the Western Conference.

The first game without Curry went badly. On Friday the Warriors lost 123-85 to the San Antonio Spurs in an NBA Cup game.

According to ESPN's Anthony Slater, Curry flew back to San Francisco and will spend the next week working with Rick Celebrini, the team's director of sports medicine and performance.

Strong Start Interrupted

The injury comes at a difficult time for Curry and the Warriors. The 38-year-old two-time MVP and 12-time All-Star went into Wednesday's game second in the NBA in scoring, at 30.6 points per game, according to The Associated Press.

He led Golden State in scoring in six of its eight straight wins and scored 40 or more points twice during the streak.

The strong start was a welcome change after a disappointing season. The Warriors went 37-45 last season and missed the playoffs.

Who Steps Up

With Curry out, the Warriors will lean more heavily on guards Brandin Podziemski and De'Anthony Melton in the backcourt. Draymond Green and the rest of the veteran group will be expected to keep the team afloat.

The margin for error is small. Despite the hot start, Golden State is only about a game ahead of 10th place in a crowded Western Conference standings race.

How Oblique Injuries Heal

Oblique injuries can be unpredictable, especially for players who rely on twisting and shooting. Recent NBA cases have usually kept players out for two to three weeks. Some take much longer: Orlando's Paolo Banchero missed 34 games with an oblique injury last season.

The Warriors haven't given a firm return date. Curry's re-evaluation, about two weeks after the injury, should give a clearer picture.