Stephen Curry sparked a second-half comeback to inspire the Golden State Warriors to victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday, but suffered a late ankle injury to take the shine off a dramatic win. Curry rolled badly on his right ankle in the final minute of the Warriors 125-115 win in New Orleans, limping off the court and later leaving the Smoothie King Center on crutches.
X-rays taken after the game however indicated no serious damage although Curry was taking nothing for granted having already suffered an injury to his right ankle earlier in his career. “I sprained my ankle and I’ll see how it feels tomorrow and kind of go from there,” said Curry, who scored 31 points in the win.
“Obviously, it’s the second situation, but ... this is more on the concerned side. I’ve been through this before on this ankle, and knowing the surgical repairs from like five or six years ago are fine, I should be able to bounce back.” Earlier, the reigning NBA champions had overturned a 69-49 half-time deficit to grab a victory which improved their record to 19-6.
It was the second time this season that the Warriors had come back from 20 points down or more to claim victory. No other team in modern NBA history has posted 20-point halftime comebacks in the same season.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr however was unimpressed that his team had once again been required to dig themselves out of a hole of their own making. “It’s absolutely too much,” Kerr said. “We’re not composed out there. We’re a championship team. We’ve got to be poised and we’ve got to execute.
“We’re getting way too emotional, myself included. We’ve got to show some poise when things aren’t going our way and stop worrying about everything else and just worry about the game.”
Tempers flare
That lack of composure was evident in an ugly confrontation between Warriors star Kevin Durant and Pelicans DeMarcus Cousins. Both players were ejected after facing off in the closing minutes of the game. Durant, who scored 19 points, later reproached himself for his loss of control.
“I can’t get involved with that type of stuff,” Durant said. “I’ve just got to stay locked in and stay focused on the game.
“I’m not going to fight nobody. I don’t want to get injured. I don’t want to get suspended. I love to play. I love making money for my family, so I’m not trying to get suspended.”
Cavaliers’ winning run continues
In Chicago meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers notched a 12th straight win in a 113-91 blowout over the hapless Bulls. Dwyane Wade and Kevin Love scored 24 points apiece while LeBron James added 23 as the Cavs improved to 17-7 in the Eastern Conference. It was a satisfying return to Chicago for Wade, who played for the Bulls last year before joining Cleveland.
“I’m just in a good groove and I’m just taking my opportunities as they come,” Wade said.
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg meanwhile lamented a loss of concentration in the first half which allowed Cleveland to pull away. “We had about a five-minute stretch in the first half when we just lost our minds,” Hoiberg said. “It’s those stretches that we have to find a way to eliminate. When we’re not making shots, we have to continue to guard.”
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