There is some cause for worry as far as the Golden State Warriors are concerned. Point guard, Stephen Curry, the likely back-to-back winner of the Most Valuable Player Award, tweaked his right ankle on Saturday afternoon, and he had to exit the game. After 17 first half minutes, he only played three more minutes in the second half.
While the Warriors didn’t really struggle too much without him, seeing as how they still won by 26 points, there is no scenario at play where Golden State wants to actually go through the next several games without him on their side. They do need him in order to be quite successful in the postseason.
From Sam Amick, columnist for USA Today Sports:
“Right now I don’t see a scenario where I’ll be out,” said Curry, who turned his right ankle in the second quarter of a Game 1 win over the Rockets (104-78) at Oracle Arena on Saturday. “Obviously, if it’s not right and at risk of further injury or whatnot, that’s the only thing that I think we have to worry about.”
Curry, as he states, does not see a situation where he would have to miss Game Two. However, it’s early and things can change. The ankle can still swell up and his desired to play won’t even be a factor. Your body tells you when you are ready, not the other way around.
Due to ankle problems in the past, taking the cautious approach with Curry here is the proper play. If there’s even any question about his physical wellbeing going into Game Two, it’d make sense to sit him completely and let him rest up for the rest of the series. If they play like they did in Game 1, they might not need him too much in the second game.