The Warriors are back again! From being nowhere in the scene to almost sealing a playoff spot, the race to rise up the table changed since the trade. And again, they had a night to remember! After their disappointing loss to Philadelphia, they were all charged up to bounce back against the Hornets. With the season reaching a crucial turning point, Kerr’s men knew things were about to get intense on the court. But what happened on Monday was something they never saw coming. And the repercussions of last night left Stephen Curry and two of his teammates to face the consequences.

The franchise took a major hit in the third quarter. With just under four minutes into it, Brandin Podziemski was seen limping off the court and heading to the locker room. Although he did return after a brief period, the real scare came moments later. Around five minutes left in the quarter, the Spectrum Center crowd held its breath as LaMelo Ball drove toward the rim and collided with the Warriors’ Gary Payton II, who stood there to protect the basket. And in an instant, Payton was on the floor. The Hornets’ guard was seen holding his head, signaling the severity of the impact. But his injury was nothing compared to what Payton received. To make matters worse, Stephen Curry was also spotted limping after the hard-fought 119-101 victory.

Later, on the Warriors Plus Minus podcast, NBA insider Anthony Slater gave a glimpse into the locker room. “Gary looked better than I probably would have imagined postgame because that looked like a really bad. He was down a long time, man… And it was clearly b——- pretty bad. They even had to clean the floor afterwards of the b—-. But he just had a little light, like, tape on his nose, and he said he’d be fine. He wants to play tomorrow,” Slater said.

Looking around, there were Podziemski and Curry too. “Podziemski was kind of getting treatment in the locker room postgame. So, he was clearly a little bit b—– up, but he didn’t seem like he wasn’t planning to play. Steph was icing his foot in a big bucket, wrapped the right ankle.”

According to Slater, Payton is hopeful he’ll remain with the squad for their next game against the Knicks, though the final decision will come from the team. Podziemski, as the host mentioned, has badly injured his knee, so his status is up in the air. As for Curry? His availability is also uncertain.

Stephen Curry’s uncertain status could impact the Warriors’ plans

Facing the Knicks is no cakewalk, especially with an injured squad. If Stephen Curry isn’t fully healthy, he’ll be rested, which could mean the Warriors might struggle to make it through the intense atmosphere of Madison Square Garden.

“He had the quote basically saying he thinks he’s gonna play, but if the ankle tells him not to, he won’t,” Slater said. “I mean, he wants, it’s MSG, right? How many more MSG games does he have? That component really does matter here. Like, he’s gonna really want to play on that stage. I mean, I think the NBA didn’t do him or the Warriors many favors by putting Charlotte, New York on a back-to-back.”

The Warriors have surpassed the Clippers in the West and currently occupy the sixth seed. That’s exactly what they were possibly aiming for. But to make the plan work, they need to keep winning. With Curry’s status uncertain, that’s not good news for the team. So, Slater’s point holds, Stephen Curry probably shouldn’t have played against Charlotte when the back-to-back game against New York was on the line. Now, all Warriors fans can do is hope the squad comes out healthy. Only then they will have a brighter chance in the postseason tournament.