Warriors point guard Steph Curry said he does not expect to miss a game because of the injury he suffered in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the NBA Finals Wednesday night.
With four minutes remaining, multiple bodies ended up on the floor as the Celtics and Warriors fought for possession. Officials allowed the battle for the ball to persist a bit longer than expected. Among those in the scramble was Curry, who came up hobbling after Celtics forward Al Horford laid on his left leg.
“I’ll be all right,” Curry said after Golden State’s 116-100 loss. “I got caught underneath Al. Obviously, there will be some pain, but I’ll be alright. I’ll figure out how it feels tomorrow and get ready for Friday.”
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Coach Steve Kerr did not have an official update but said he also expects to know more on Thursday regarding Curry’s status.
Curry likened the situation to a less severe version of what happened when the Celtics and Warriors met in March during the regular season. While fighting for a loose ball, Curry’s ankle got caught underneath Celtics guard Marcus Smart. He ended up missing the rest of the regular season with a left foot sprain.
“That’s what it felt like,” Curry said, when asked if he once again sustained a sprain. “I’ll see how it responds. Not much else to say. I don’t feel like I’ll miss a game, though. I’ll take advantage of the next 48 hours and get ready.”
Curry said he hasn’t seen a replay, so he wasn’t sure if the injury could have been avoided.
“I just wanted to get my foot out of there,” Curry said. “That was all I was trying to do at that point, knowing the position I was in.”
The play also resulted in Draymond Green’s sixth personal foul. Green took issue with the sequence and spent some time arguing with referee Courtney Kirkland. According to Green, he picked up a foul because he pushed Horford off of Curry, so he wanted to know why Horford wasn’t also whistled for one.
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“[Courtney] said I dove on somebody,” Green said. “Stephen got his legs dove on. I just asked, ‘Is that not the same thing?’ He told me it wasn’t the same thing.”
Asked if he was concerned about Curry’s status for the remainder of the series, Green said, “You always worry.”
Curry remained in the game until the Celtics extended their lead to 14 with 2:19 remaining. When he checked out, he was also wincing and favoring his chest after defending a hard Smart drive to the basket. As he walked to the sideline, he exhibited a slight limp.
The break between Games 3 and 4 is just one day. Both teams are scheduled to practice and speak to the media. Given Curry’s effectiveness as a scorer and his gravity, his availability moving forward looms large.
“We need him if we want to win this thing,” said Klay Thompson. “I know Steph is going to do everything he can in his power to play. I am really hoping he’s OK because he’s our identity. Without him, it will be very difficult.”
Nicole Yang can be reached at nicole.yang@globe.com.Follow her on Twitter @nicolecyang.