As the Golden State Warriors head into the Play-In Tournament against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday, their final regular season games yielded a huge blow to their offense and potential of making a sustained postseason run.
Stephen Curry, who has dealt with multiple injuries throughout this season, re-aggravated a thumb injury against the Portland Trailblazers on Friday night. After banging his thumb in the first quarter, Curry went to locker room, later returning to the game with it taped up.
While Curry exploded for 36 points in the team's loss against the Los Angeles Clippers, he did show signs of his soreness and any hampering of Curry's offensive momentum could be a death spell for this Warrior team.
Curry's injury is a terrible sign for a Warriors playoff run
Curry, who is averaging 24.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and six assists this season, has so often been Golden State's saving grace through their lackluster offensive stretches this season.
Although he has, occasionally, been shut down offensively, his ability to explode in games where the team desperately needs him has resulted in the Warriors continuing their hot stretch into the month of April, taking them from a fringe play-in contender to a dangerous playoff team.
Since Curry missed two games against the Atlanta Hawks and the Miami Heat with a pelvic contusion, he has averaged 26.9 points over the last 10 games which has put him in contention for a spot on the All-NBA First Team. While the Warriors as a whole have struggled at times from beyond the arc during this recent stretch, Curry has kept them afloat with a stellar 41% mark.
With the addition of Jimmy Butler, the Warriors now have a true secondary scorer that can take over a game when needed. However, Butler has shown signs of slowing down offensively with his age, and while he quietened those with an aggressive 30-point, nine-assist performance against the Clippers, he's become the latest Golden State player under an injury cloud.
In the final minute of overtime, Butler took a knee to the thigh from Kawhi Leonard and was visibly limping around the floor over the final few possessions. The 6x All-Star said he plans to play on Tuesday, but there will regardless be a huge watch on his availability over the next 48 hours.
Now having to face the Grizzlies in the Play-In, Golden State has lost the opportunity to rest their veterans in anticipation of a first-round matchup, making the situation even more dangerous for the banged up team.
Moreover, the team's shooters, including Buddy Hield, Moses Moody, Quinten Post and Brandin Podziemski have been inconsistent at times and thus have raised concerns on whether they can be truly relied upon to make their shots in a make-or-break postseason scenario.
The Warriors will need Curry and Butler at full health in order to pass through the gauntlet that the Western Conference play-in and playoffs could present, with potential matchups against the Houston Rockets or Oklahoma City Thunder lined up in the first-round if they can make it through.
