Is Stephen Curry okay? This was a topic of discussion amongst Bay Area fans during the recent Warriors-Clippers game. After setting a perfect preseason record and winning their two regular season matchups, Curry and Co. looked favorites to continue their winning streak with their first home game. Even Ayesha did her part, cooking a protein-enriched meal to ensure the sharpshooter would give his all. However, while there were already concerns about his finger, the veteran has now gone on and added more trouble for himself.

As the game reached the final minutes of the third quarter, Stephen Curry delivered everyone a scare after he rolled his ankle. Curry himself caused the injury; neither a rival player nor any of his teammates caused it through an unexpected collision. According to Anthony Slater, “Limped off, didn’t go to locker room, currently using a band to stretch it out on the bench.”

For a brief moment, everything seemed to be under control, and the all-time three-point leader was able to get back on the court in the middle of the fourth quarter. However, Curry had just gotten back to the groove of things when he tweaked the same angle once again!

This time, however, Steph ended up limping his way to the locker room with the help of the training staff. Anthony Slater and ESPN’s Kendra Andrews later revealed that Curry would not be returning for the remaining minutes. With 4:44 minutes left, and the Warriors trailing, 95-101, their lead scorer’s injury was probably the last thing Bay Area fans would have asked for.

One look at the remarks on X, and people would find that to be true. Injury analyst, Nirav Pandya immediately took to X in light of the injury. According to him, a combination of two quick foot/ankle ‘rolls’ within a short span can increase the pain an athlete can experience at an exponential level. The same persists if there is already a “baseline level of irritation” from the first injury.

In short, Stephen Curry would have been better off if he had stayed on the bench after the first injury itself, but the second tweak might worsen the situation even more. As the commentators stated after the staff escorted the player to the locker room, “That took the air out of the building.” If Curry’s injury forces him to sit out for an extended duration, the mood in Chase Center might turn out to be gloomy. As a result, for now, the only question that may be on the minds of Warriors fans would be: What’s next?

Popular doc walks the community through next possible steps for Stephen Curry’s injury fiasco

After providing his expertise on the effect of two consecutive foot/ankle ‘rolls’, Dr. Nirav Pandya touched base on the next steps. He believes obtaining an x-ray would be the priority to determine whether there are any possible fractures. Fortunately, the hooper won’t have to go far to get himself checked. After all, several stadiums have installed their own X-ray machines in the home team’s locker room. Hoop enthusiasts may have remembered the fact after witnessing the machine that the new Intuit Dome installed.

Dr Pandya later revealed that Curry may be subject to an MRI scan, too. The same will determine the presence of any ligament injury or “associated cartilage damage.” The procedure is especially important for someone like Steph. After all, not only does he play at a high level, but he also has a history of ankle injuries. The issue has been persisting for the Warriors star since the early 2010s.

Even after a surgeon rebuilt two ligaments on his right ankle “that had stretched apart like a rotting sweater,” the hooper developed sprains five times over a 26-game period. As a result, he had to eventually change his playing style on some level. Even after a decade, the ankle ailments do not seem to get away from him.

Dr. Pandya determined, in case of no fracture, “Return to play (assuming no fractures) then comes down to resolution of pain/swelling, return of full mobility/strength, stability on exam, and the ability to perform basketball specific activities without pain.”

At the same time, they wouldn’t want to take any unnecessary risk through an action that forces Stephen Curry to be sidelined for longer. Until an official update is provided by the Golden State Warriors, all that one can do is speculate.