Steph Curry Out Until Playoffs – Should GSW Bettors Worry?

After dominating the NBA from five seasons, the previous two seasons were quite the comedown for the Golden State Warriors. In the pandemic-interrupted 2019-20 season, the Warriors won just 15 of 65 games, which meant they did not qualify for the Disney bubble. Last season, despite the superhuman efforts of Steph Curry, the Warriors were unable to make it past the play-in tournament.

This season, the Warriors returned to their place in the upper echelon of the NBA. All season long, 2022 NBA championship odds have had the Warriors among the top title favorites, along with the likes of the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Phoenix Suns.

But just like two seasons ago and last season, could injuries derail the Warriors yet again?

Steph Set to Miss Rest of Regular Season with Foot Sprain

In a home game against the Boston Celtics on March 16, Curry went down with a left foot injury. As he and Marcus Smart were going for a loose ball, they made contact, with the result a left foot sprain for the two-time MVP.

He has not played since, and today it was revealed that he is expected to miss the remainder of the NBA regular season.

Warriors say Stephen Curry is progressing well in recovery of sprained ligament in left foot and will miss remaining five games of regular season as he will be re-evaluated on April 11.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 1, 2022

The Warriors have five games remaining in the regular season, which will end on Sunday, April 10.

With Golden State in fourth in the Western Conference, five games ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are currently the seventh seed in the West, the Dubs won’t have to deal with the play-in tournament this time around. So, that gives Steph some extra time to get back to health, with the first round of the NBA playoffs set to begin on Saturday, April 16.

But his absence is not at all ideal, for multiple reasons.

Remaining Regular Season Schedule for the Golden State Warriors

• Saturday, April 2: vs. Utah Jazz (46-31)
• Sunday, April 3: at Sacramento Kings (28-49)
• Thursday, April 7: vs. Los Angeles Clippers (37-40)
• Saturday, April 9: at San Antonio Spurs (31-45)
• Sunday, April 10: at New Orleans Pelicans (33-43)

The Warriors play only one team with a winning record the rest of the way, but the Spurs and Pelicans are both fighting it out with the Los Angeles Lakers to land in the play-in tournament, and the Clippers just got Paul George back from a long injury layoff.

This season, Golden State has won only three of the 13 games that Steph has missed. Including a 110-88 loss to Boston in the game in which he injured his foot, the Dubs have lost seven of eight games heading into Saturday’s visit from the Jazz.

At one point, the Warriors were in the running for a top-two seed in the West. In fact, they went into a road game against the Jazz on February 9 at 41-13 and just three games behind the Suns for first. Since then, Golden State is just 7-16, while the Suns have gone 18-4 in the same stretch.

However, before Steph went down two weeks ago, the Warriors had won four games in a row, and there were signs that he might be finding his stroke after some rough stretches. He was only 1 of 4 from the field (all from three) against the Celtics, but in the game prior, a 126-112 win over the Washington Wizards, he had 47 points on 16 of 25 shooting (7 of 14 from three and 8 of 8 from the free-throw line).

Now he will be faced with having to shake off rust for a potentially tricky first-round playoff series.

Western Conference Standings (Entering Friday, April 1)

• 1. Phoenix Suns (62-14)
• 2. Memphis Grizzlies (54-23)
• 3. Dallas Mavericks (48-29)
• 4. Golden State Warriors (48-29)
• 5. Utah Jazz (46-31)
• 6. Denver Nuggets (46-31)
• 7. Minnesota Timberwolves (43-34)
• 8. Los Angeles Clippers (37-40)
• 9. New Orleans Pelicans (33-43)
• 10. San Antonio Spurs (31-45)

Should Steph Situation Cause Concern for NBA Bettors?

That he appears set to return for the playoffs is encouraging for those who have futures bets invested in the Warriors, but those who haven’t invested need to exercise caution.

There is still time for the Jazz and/or Nuggets to pass Golden State in the NBA standings, which will affect the pairing that the Warriors get for the first round. The Warriors are 2-1 against the Jazz ahead of tomorrow’s matchup, but they are 1-3 against the Mavericks and 1-3 against the Nuggets.

While the Warriors are 29-10 at home this season, they are only 19-19 on the road. They have been particularly poor away from the Chase Center recently, losing ten of their past 13 road games. So, even if Steph ends up being available for the start of the playoffs, finishing with the #3 or #4 seed would be a much more favorable outcome for them, as it would mean homecourt advantage for them in the first round.

With the Warriors now at +950 (at BetOnline Sportsbook – fifth behind the Suns, Bucks, Nets, and Boston Celtics) to win this year’s NBA Finals, there’s no harm in buying now if you are so inclined. However, it would be wiser to wait until Golden State’s playoff seeding and pairing and Curry’s health and availability are known to take the leap if you haven’t already, especially with less risky options on the board as it is.