Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry will miss at least five more games due to a right knee issue, the organization announced Sunday.
The Warriors said they will reevaluate Curry in 10 days. He’s already missed the team’s previous 10 games due to the issue, with Golden State going 4-6 without him.
The injury news has NBA Play-In positioning implications for the Portland Trail Blazers. Portland currently sits at No. 10 in the Western Conference standings with a 29-33 record. The Blazers are just
a half-game back of the Los Angeles Clippers and three games behind the Warriors, who occupy the No. 8 spot with a 31-29 record.
Getting out of the back-half of the Play-In spots and into the 8-7 range is crucial for a team’s chances to make the NBA Playoffs. During the Play-In Tournament, teams in the No. 8 or No. 7 spots get two chances to win one game to qualify for the Playoffs, whereas teams in the No. 10 or No. 9 spots must win two games in a row to advance.
Curry’s ongoing injury issues give Portland a better chance of supplanting Golden State in the standings during the stretch run and possibly moving into the upper half of the Play-In. However, the Blazers have struggled to make hay in the standings recently, as they’ve dealt with key injuries to All-Star Deni Avdija and starting guard Shaedon Sharpe. The Blazers have gone 2-4 since the All-Star break, but Portland’s schedule is slated to get softer over the final two months of the regular season.
