A banged-up Stephen Curry would not let a thumb injury get in the way of the Golden State Warriors‘ playoff bid.
Curry returned from a right thumb injury in the second quarter to help the Warriors take the first step in their goal of clinching the sixth seed in the playoffs.
The Warriors superstar scored 14 points with five assists and five rebounds in a 103-86 win over the lottery-bound Portland Trail Blazers, setting up Sunday’s season finale against the Los Angeles Clippers a must-win game.
The Clippers are one of the hottest teams entering Sunday’s season finale, having won their last seven games.
If the Warriors win against the Clippers, they will clinch the sixth seed and face the No. 3 seed Los Angeles Lakers in the first round with a week’s rest. If they lose, the Minnesota Timberwolves can jump over them for the No. 6 seed with a win against the tanking Utah Jazz on Sunday. In that scenario, the Warriors will be relegated to the play-in tournament and face the No. 8 seed Memphis Grizzlies at home on Tuesday.
Steph Curry’s Latest Injury Scare
Curry sustained a right thumb injury with around 2:45 left in the second quarter when he jammed it against Blazers forward Justin Minaya‘s knee.
Steph Curry went to the Warriors’ locker room after appearing to injure his hand on this play pic.twitter.com/W2c3TCrllU
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 12, 2025
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“From what I know, it’s just an aggravation,” Curry told reporters after the win about his right thumb. “The same thing [as the earlier thumb injury], but hopefully it wasn’t anything serious.”
Curry said he took an X-ray and it came out negative, but there was still pain when he faced the reporters after the game.
“It did a little bit just because it was freshly bringing new pain, but I don’t think it’ll last too long,’ Curry said.
Pressed further if it was just a swelling or more than that, Curry quipped: “I’m not really good with the anatomy so I just know it hurts right now but I’ll be alright.”
He left with 2:43 remaining in the third quarter and sat out the entire fourth quarter, giving him plenty of rest heading into the critical game against the Clippers.
“I’m feeling great really, ready to play Game 82 on Sunday,” Curry told reporters. “I’m excited about it.”
While his brave front tries to mask the pain, it will be fascinating to watch if this latest injury scare will impact his shooting hand against the red-hot Clippers.
Curry has already missed 12 games this season due to an assortment of injuries ranging from ankle issues to pelvic contusion.
Rival Exec Fears Warriors in Playoffs
If the Warriors reach the playoffs, a rival executive fears for his team and the rest of the Western Conference.
“I would not want to play them in any round,” the Western Conference executive told ESPN.
The rival executive does not care if the Warriors enter the playoffs as the underdogs because they have top dogs in their roster especially after trading for Jimmy Butler.
“The most important thing is their confidence, not their record,” the Western Conference executive told ESPN. “People think Steph and Dray don’t need confidence, but they all do. [Andrew] Wiggins didn’t always have that and you could tell. Jimmy has provided that.”
Curry and Draymond Green have repeatedly spoken about this.
“The biggest thing he’s changed is obviously the skill on the court and what we’re capable of doing but he’s just brought this belief to this group that we feel like we can win again and we’re playing like that,” Green said after they beat the Los Angeles Lakers on April 3.
