標籤: absences

Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry has not played since Jan. 30 and has missed each of the team’s last 21 games due to what the team is repeatedly labeling as patella-femoral pain syndrome and a bone bruise in his right kneecap.

This injury has been causing persistent discomfort and swelling since before the All-Star break, causing Curry to be absent for an extended period of time.

Before Saturday’s 126-110 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, the Warriors announced that Curry continued to make “good progress” in his return and has stepped up his individual workouts. The next step, as outlined in the team’s injury update, will be to integrate him into live action and team practices in the coming days.

Head coach Steve Kerr said over the weekend that he expected Steph to participate in 5-on-5 drills on Sunday.

Unfortunately for Curry and the Warriors, he did not participate in Sunday’s 5-on-5 drills, league sources tell ClutchPoints. However, team sources are adamant that it is not being viewed as a setback and that Curry is on the same recovery timeline that was provided on Saturday.

He is expected to continue his on-court activities and will be re-evaluated when the team returns to San Francisco after Monday night’s game in Dallas.

The Warriors have been out of an abundance of caution regarding Curry’s right knee issue, which is why he was given an extra day of practice before returning to 5-on-5 play.

As reported by ClutchPoints ahead of the team’s update on Steph’s status on Saturday, the Warriors were optimistic about Curry’s return at some point following their six-game road trip. Upon returning home, seven of the team’s final 10 games of the season will be played at Chase Center, allowing Curry to receive maximum treatment for his right knee and not require him to travel as much.

For several weeks, the Warriors have been hopeful that Steph will be able to return for at least one of their two home games against the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards on March 25 and March 27, respectively.

Sources said that mentality hasn’t changed, yet everything will depend on how he feels in practice Tuesday and what is said upon re-evaluation in San Francisco.

Overall, Curry and the Warriors have insisted that he not be locked up for the remainder of the 2025-26 season. Steph wants to play again before the end of the regular season, and the team remains optimistic about its chances of being competitive in the play-in tournament with Curry, despite falling in the standings without him.

In their last 21 games without Steph, Golden State has gone 6-15, 1.5 games behind the Phoenix Suns for the 7-seed and now 1.5 games behind the Portland Trail Blazers for the 9-seed in the Western Conference.

A loss to the Mavericks on Monday night would put the Warriors in an even deeper hole as the 10-seed in the West.

During his recovery process, the Warriors remained adamant that Curry had not suffered a concussion and that his injury, described as “runner’s knee”, had resulted in prolonged pain and swelling that persisted longer than originally expected.

Multiple tests and imaging confirmed that there was no further structural damage to his right knee.

As for the team’s other injury concerns, running back Moses Moody, who hasn’t played since March 2 because of a right wrist sprain, is considered questionable to play Monday night at Dallas. Veteran big man Al Horford is out with a right calf strain, but the Warriors remain optimistic he will return before the end of the regular season.

The Warriors are currently 33-38 and have lost eight of their last nine games as of Monday night.

The Orlando Magic have struggled to stay healthy throughout the 2025-26 NBA season, and their troubles have continued into the final month before the playoffs. While Paolo Banchero is healthy and leading the team to success, Anthony Black and Franz Wagner have both been sidelined with no clear timetable for their eventual returns.

Black, who suffered a lower back strain two minutes into Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, missed the Magic’s next game on Sunday night against the Milwaukee Bucks because of this back strain. However, Orlando announced Tuesday morning that the breakout guard would be sidelined with a lateral abdominal muscle strain. An injury that was discovered after an MRI.

His comeback will depend on how he responds to treatment.

This isn’t the best news for the Magic, especially since Black has produced a stellar third season and taken over as one of the team’s key guards. Abdominal injuries usually cause players to miss at least a week of action, but can sometimes take longer depending on the severity of the injury.

Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recently missed nine games with an abdominal strain.

In 60 games this season, of which he has started 40, Black has averaged 15.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game, while shooting 45.1 percent from the floor. He currently ranks fourth on the team in scoring this season and third in total points (917).

As far as Wagner is concerned, his left ankle sprain has been the downfall of his season. Wagner initially suffered an injury on December 7 against the New York Knicks and subsequently missed 16 consecutive games. Although he returned to play overseas in his hometown of Berlin on January 15 and again in London, England on January 18, Wagner then missed nine consecutive games.

He has been sidelined indefinitely since Feb. 11 after suffering a concussion and needs extra time after the All-Star break to fully recover. Following a recent re-evaluation of his ankle, the Magic have determined that Wagner is making progress, but still needs time to recover and reach his response to treatment.

Wagner has played only 28 games this year due to ankle trouble, averaging 21.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.

No timetable has been given for Black or Wagner’s return to play, meaning both players are likely to be out for at least another week to see how they handle their respective injuries and if they can begin to make progress in on-court workouts.

Despite these two injury concerns as the Magic enter the final stretch of the regular season, the team has been having a lot of success recently due to Banchero’s leadership.

Orlando has won four games in a row and six of its last eight games overall. Banchero is averaging 27.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game during the team’s four-game winning streak. This earned Banchero consideration for the Eastern Conference Player of the Week award.

The Magic, who are 35-28 this season, will look to continue to maintain positive momentum and possibly move into the East playoff picture against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.

As far as Black and Wagner are concerned, further updates on the injury status of both players will be provided by the team at a later date.