The Golden State Warriors, who are trying to maintain the No. 6 spot in the Western Conference standings, will be without star Stephen Curry when they begin their six-game road trip against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.
Curry came away with a pelvic injury in Thursday’s game against the Toronto Raptors. He was driving for a layup late in the third quarter when he was knocked down by Raptors rookie Jonathan Mogbo and landed hard on his tailbone.
Curry remained on the court for several minutes before being taken to the bench. Coach Steve Kerr said Curry tried to talk his way back into the lineup, but instead was taken the clubhouse for medical attention.
“He was trying to come back,” Kerr said after the game. “We just decided not to risk anything.”
An MRI revealed no structural damage, but Curry will not travel with the team to Atlanta, although he is expected to return before the road trip ends April 3.
Golden State needs Curry’s 24.2 points per game back in the lineup as soon as possible a playoff push continues. The Warriors (41-29) entered Friday’s NBA play 1 1/2 games ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves to avoid the play-in tournament. Golden State is coming off a 117-114 win over Toronto on Thursday.
Jimmy Butler is averaging 17.2 points in 18 games since he was added before the trade deadline. He had his third triple-double of the season and second with the Warriors in the win over Toronto. The Warriors are 16-3 overall since Butler joined the team.
“The margin for error goes way down when (Curry) isn’t out there,” Golden State’s Draymond Green said. “We’ve got to understand that and act accordingly.”
Atlanta (33-36) holds the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference heading into Friday’s games. The Hawks are not likely to catch No. 6 Detroit (39-31) and avoid the play-in tournament. Atlanta has won five of its last seven after beating Charlotte 134-102 on Wednesday.
The Hawks are 10-8 since the acquisition of Caris LeVert, Georges Niang and Terance Mann at the trade deadline. LeVert is scoring 16.4 points with his new team, while Niang is adding 12.4 and Mann has delivered 9.8.
The Hawks continue to be led by Trae Young, who has delivered 24.1 points and an NBA-leading 11.4 assists. Dyson Daniels adds an NBA-leading 3.0 steals.
Atlanta has also been boosted by the play of No. 1 draft pick Zaccharie Risacher, who is averaging 11.9 points and in the running for postseason honors, at least as far as Young is concerned.
“He should be — and I’m not saying it because I’m biased — but I think he should be rookie of the year,” Young said. “What he’s been doing this year, he’s been thrown in the fire as a starter. You put him up against some of the guys in the running and I think his numbers speak for themselves.”
This will be the second meeting between the teams this season. Golden State won 120-97 on Nov. 20 in San Francisco.
The Hawks have won the last five contests between the teams in Atlanta, a streak that dates to Dec. 2, 2019.
Atlanta announced on Friday that an MRI showed center Clint Capela has a ligament injury in the fourth metacarpal of his left hand and he will be re-evaluated in three to four weeks. Capela, who already was ruled out for Saturday’s game, has not played since a March 10 home win over the Philadelphia 76ers. He is averaging 8.9 points, 8.5 rebounds and 21.4 minutes in 55 games (41 starts) this season.
–Field Level Media
