On Christmas Day, the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers will meet each other for the first time since the former beat the latter in the NBA Finals back in June. Sadly for Warriors fans, it is already confirmed that one of the team's superstars is going to miss the game.
The Warriors superstar that will be absent is point guard Stephen Curry. According to ESPN, the Warriors have re-evaluated Curry's ankle injury.
However, he is set for another re-evaluation next week. That is the reason why the two-time NBA MVP was ruled out versus the Cavaliers on Christmas Day.
What happened?
Stephen Curry is on the sideline after suffering a left ankle sprain on December 4, when the Warriors defeated the New Orleans Pelicans, 125-115. In the closing moments of that road game, Curry gambled and tried to go for a steal on Pelicans guard E'Twaun Moore. Unfortunately, he stepped on the right foot of Moore, and that led to the injury.
Injury bug versus Warriors
The past few days have been tough for the Warriors. Aside from Stephen Curry, three other key players are down with injuries.
These are Draymond Green, Zaza Pachulia, and Shaun Livingston.
Green and Pachulia are dealing with shoulder woes. It is uncertain, as of this moment, when they can return to action for the Warriors. Meanwhile, Livingston, who is the backup of Curry, is nursing a knee injury.
Doing fine
Despite the absence of Stephen Curry, the Warriors are on a tear. They are on a nine-game winning streak and have triumphed in five consecutive outings without Curry.
Before Curry got hurt, he was the leading scorer of the Warriors as he averaged 26.3 points each night. With him recovering, taking over for the Dubs is his fellow former MVP, Kevin Durant. The 29-year-old is now the best scorer for the reigning champions with his 26.5 points per contest.
Another Warriors star stepping up is Curry's Splash Brother, Klay Thompson. The duo of Durant and Thompson is keeping the Warriors formidable.
It will be interesting to see how Durant, Thompson, and the Warriors will fare when they take on the Cavaliers on Christmas Day without Stephen Curry. As mentioned, the Warriors are doing well, even without him, but Cleveland is undeniably among the hottest squads in the league today. Indeed, the Cavs are coming off a close loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, but they have succeeded in 18 of their last 20 games. They have momentum and found their rhythm.