Warriors defeat Rockets in Game 2 sans Steph Curry
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Golden State Warriors defeated the Houston Rockets 115 to 106 to take a 2-0 lead in their series.
NBA MVP and Warriors' guard, Stephen Curry, was out for Game 2 against Rockets with a right ankle injury.
The announcement was made Monday evening during the team's pregame routine.
Curry cut the routine short after appearing to be in discomfort dealing with his injured right ankle.
He began his extensive warmup routine before leaving the court about 5 minutes later, putting little pressure on the tender ankle while taking a several shots.
How he felt before the game was to determine whether he played for Golden State in Game 2 of the playoffs Monday night against the Houston Rockets.
Curry did not take part in the morning shootaround Monday, getting treatment instead, and he took the court some 90 minutes before tipoff and first went through his normal dribbling session before he started shooting.
At one point, Curry lined up to shoot a long jumper from the right wing but didn't release the ball and hopped in apparent discomfort before throwing the ball in the air. He left the court at Oracle Arena moments later.
Coach Steve Kerr said he and Curry had a long chat earlier in the day.
"We will definitely err on the side of caution. If he's not right, then he's not going to play," Kerr said. "It's not worth risking turning this into a long-term issue. ... We had a good conversation today before shootaround. Steph is a very rational person. He's easy to speak with. We kind of went over the different scenarios. He understands we have, first of all, his best interest at heart, his career. We know that he had surgery on that ankle four years ago. He's got a lot of basketball ahead of him. ... I do know that we have to look after his health because the competitor that he is he's going to want to play."
Curry injured his right ankle when he landed awkwardly late in the first half of a 104-78 win over Houston in the series opener on Saturday. He tried to come back in the second half before being quickly pulled by Kerr, who noticed Curry wasn't right.
"I'm preparing as if he's not going to play because you don't want to be surprised at a game-time decision," teammate Klay Thompson said. "So we're preparing as if he's not going to be out there."
Golden State already beat the Rockets once this season without Curry, winning 114-110 in Houston on Dec. 31. Thompson picked up much of the scoring load with 38 points that game and Andre Iguodala added 20.
Thompson said it will take more than just him to replace Curry's league-leading 30.1 points per game and everything else he offers.
"Obviously 30 points out of the lineup, a lot of playmaking, a lot of easy buckets," Thompson said. "We just have to do it in a more meticulous way as far as moving the ball, being more patient. Without Steph in the lineup, we don't have those easy looks in transition he usually gives us. We just got to do it even more as a team now and rely heavily on our defense and get out on transition."
Shaun Livingston will start in Curry's place. Livingston averaged 6.3 points and 3.0 assists this season.