The Warriors fanbase faced a tense moment on Friday when star player Stephen Curry exited the preseason game against the Kings due to an injury. Curry, who hurt his shooting hand in the second quarter, did not return for the rest of the game, prompting concerns about a repeat of his 2019 hand injury that sidelined him for four months. Despite Curry’s absence, the Warriors managed to clinch a thrilling 109-106 victory.

Following the game, Warriors coach Steve Kerr revealed that Curry was scheduled to play more extended minutes than in previous preseason games. Curry had already logged 16 minutes in each of the past two games and was set to play into the third quarter for the first time. “He was going to actually play into the third quarter tonight for the first time. But when he jammed his finger, it made no sense to send him back out.”

Kerr addressed the media post-game, reassuring that Curry’s early exit was purely a precaution. “I was assured at halftime that it was fine,” Kerr said. “X-Rays were negative. It wasn’t anything too concerning. But yeah, you always get nervous when he’s hurt.” Warriors insider Anthony Slater confirmed that the X-rays showed no damage, easing immediate concerns.

While the medical team confirmed no serious injury this time, they remain cautious given Curry’s history. The 2019 injury that limited Stephen Curry to just five games during the 2019-2020 season remains a concern. That incident, which occurred in a regular season game against the Phoenix Suns, saw Curry suffer a fracture in the second metacarpal bone of his left hand.

Per reports, Curry is now day-to-day, meaning he can return on Sunday when Warriors face the Pistons in their next pre-season matchup.

Kerr’s Game Plan Following Stephen Curry’s Exit

Steve Kerr didn’t really have to change his strategy after Steph’s exit. Tonight, the Warriors opted for a relatively unusual lineup with any big man on the court. Moses Moody, starting ahead of Kuminga, capitalized on the opportunity by scoring a game-high 23 points in 25 minutes. Jonathan Kuminga. contributed 19 points and 7 rebounds in 27 minutes, helping secure the win.

Steve Kerr found Moody’s step-up impressive as he said, “He was aggressive when we needed that aggressiveness. He did a nice job.” However, Kerr wasn’t happy with the overall performance, as he said, “I think we were tired tonight… But it’s a hard game to play when you don’t have energy and Sacramento I thought totally outplayed us all game. The result probably wasn’t the right one… I thought they were really impressive at both ends. We struggled all night.” 

So, we might expect Kerr to go back to his initial starting lineup with Kuminga as the small forward. Moreover, the team has yet to test Andrew Wiggins in the mix. So, there’s so much experimentation before the Dubs step into the regular season.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.