Hurt Again: Steph Curry Sustains MCL Injury against Atlanta

This was his first game since recovering from his ankle injury

The good news was: Steph Curry has returned after missing 6 games due to an ankle injury and scored 29 points in the Golden State Warriors' 106-94 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

The bad news is: Steph Curry may miss the final stretch of the regular season after getting hurt, again.

In what Head Coach Steve Kerr called as a cruel twist of fate, Steph Curry sustained an MCL injury and an MRI has already been scheduled to determine the severity of the said injury. But, the fact that Steph Curry had difficulties in making his way to the locker room after the incident had occurred in the third quarter might be a sign that it could be a serious injury but given that Curry appeared to be in high spirits hours after the game, there's a chance that it's nothing serious but an MRI will still be needed to be sure.

The said incident took place when JaVale McGee attempted to block a shot but ended up landing on Curry's knee. Curry, one of the Warriors' MVP awardees, began hopping and limping in serious pain. When he saw that his star point guard was limping after he pulled him up, Steve Kerr initially thought that it was another ankle injury.

Steph Curry's latest injury will have a rippling effect on the Warriors' chances of catching up the Houston Rockets for the best record in the NBA. At 54-18, the Warriors are now down four games behind the Rockets but catching up the Rockets is still the Warriors' priority right now?

As it happens, Steph Curry's latest injury is nothing new for the Warriors to begin with, as they have been missing Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and other key players due to various health issues with Durant suffering a fractured rib several weeks ago. Right now, the Warriors still have 11 games on their schedule in the final stretch of the season. This pundit isn't saying that Golden State should give up on catching the Rockets owing to the homecourt advantage (throughout the playoffs) that comes with finishing the season with the best record. However, the Warriors should know by now that forcing your players to play hard in the final stretch of the regular season has a negative effect on the players' endurance in the playoffs.  Remember the 73-10 finish? Yes? What happened next? You know what happened, right?

With just 11 games left on their schedule, it's imperative that Steve Kerr should start letting his other players take the floor so that they can prepare themselves too once the playoffs start. Doing so will benefit the Warriors too especially in the playoffs when the starters are either resting or struggling, Steve Kerr will just need to look at his players, tell him to get on the floor, knowing and believing that those players will deliver.

Conclusion

With 4 of his stars injured, Steve Kerr must now rely on the players who are healthy. While the severity of Steph Curry's latest injury is yet to be determined via an MRI, it's better to let Curry and the rest of the injured stars to rest until the end of the regular season so that will be fresh once the bloody playoffs in the Western Conference start. After all, they are 14 games ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers so the Warriors can simply slow things down and prioritize the health of every man on their team.