Spielplan: Golden State Warriors
Warriors Without Stephen Curry: Every Number That Matters as He Misses at Least Two Weeks
The News
Stephen Curry has a right oblique abdominal tear and will be re-evaluated in two weeks, the Warriors announced Thursday after an MRI.
He was hurt about five minutes into Wednesday's game at Houston. He grimaced releasing a three-pointer, signaled to the bench and went to the locker room holding his right side. Golden State lost 115-108.
The timing hurts. The Warriors had won eight straight before Houston, and Curry was playing as well as anyone in the league.
Where the Warriors Stand: 8-4
| Record | 8-4 |
| Offensive rating | 120.4 (3rd in NBA) |
| Defensive rating | 112.5 (11th) |
| Net rating | +7.9 (7th) |
| 3-point percentage | 39.6% (1st) |
Golden State started 0-3, then won eight in a row: Denver, Minnesota, the Lakers, the Clippers, Phoenix, Miami, Orlando in overtime, and a 138-87 demolition of New Orleans on Monday. Then came Houston.
Curry This Season
- 27.8 points per game
- 71.9% true shooting, an elite number for a high-volume scorer
- Big nights include 44 at Minnesota, 41 against Orlando in an overtime win, 34 against Phoenix, 31 against the Lakers and 29 against Miami.
- In games he's played, the Warriors have a +9.2 net rating, per StatMuse.
2026-27: With Curry vs. Without Curry
Curry had already missed two games before this injury, and Golden State split them:
| Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 24 | at Phoenix | L 131-122 |
| Nov. 1 | vs. LA Clippers | W 124-112 |
| With Curry | Without Curry | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 7-3 | 1-1 |
| Points per game | — | 123.0 |
| Points allowed per game | — | 121.5 |
| FG% | — | 49.2% |
| 3P% | — | 44.3% (19.5-of-44 per game) |
| True shooting | — | 62.4% |
| Assists | — | 28.0 |
| Rebounds | — | 44.0 (15.0 offensive) |
| Turnovers | — | 16.0 |
Big caveat: two games is a tiny sample, and the Warriors shot unusually well in both. The longer track record below is more telling. The 7-3 "with Curry" record also includes the Houston loss, where he played only about five minutes.
Last Season (2025-26): The Clearest Picture
Curry missed 39 games last season, including 27 in a row late in the year. That gives a real sample:
| With Curry | Without Curry | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 24-19 (.558) | 13-26 (.333) |
| Points per game | 119.6 | 109.1 (−10.5) |
| FG% | 47.4% | 44.7% |
| 3-pointers made | 16.7 | 14.5 |
| 3P% | 37.4% | 33.5% |
| Free throws made | 19.3 | 14.6 |
| FT% | 83.0% | 77.6% |
| True shooting | 60.8% | 55.8% (−5.0 points) |
| Assists | 29.7 | 28.0 |
| Steals | 10.1 | 9.3 |
| Turnovers | 15.3 | 16.0 |
| Offensive rebounds | 10.5 | 12.4 |
Three takeaways:
- About 10 fewer points a night. That's the gap between a top-five offense and one of the league's worst.
- Shooting fell off across the board. Every shooting percentage dropped, and true shooting fell five full points. Curry's gravity, the way defenses bend toward him, creates open looks for everyone else.
- More misses, more offensive rebounds. The only category that improved without Curry was offensive rebounding, mostly because there were more missed shots to chase.
The Warriors won at a .558 clip with Curry, roughly a 46-win pace over a full season. Without him, they won at a .333 clip, roughly a 27-win pace.
The Long View
- Career: In games Curry has missed, the Warriors are 105-179 (.370), per StatMuse. In those games they averaged 105.9 points on 45.3% shooting and 35.5% from three.
- 2019-20 through 2022: CBS Sports noted in December 2022 that Golden State was 24-66 without Curry over that span. That season, the Warriors scored over 120 points per 100 possessions with Curry on the floor, which would have led the league. Without him they scored about 103, which would have been the league's worst by a wide margin.
The Games He's Likely to Miss
If Curry is re-evaluated in two weeks, these are the games in that window:
| Date | Opponent |
|---|---|
| Fri, Nov. 13 | at San Antonio |
| Mon, Nov. 16 | at New Orleans |
| Wed, Nov. 18 | at Dallas |
| Thu, Nov. 19 | at Memphis |
| Sun, Nov. 22 | vs. Boston |
| Wed, Nov. 25 | vs. Sacramento |
Four of the six are on the road, including a back-to-back at Dallas and Memphis. Re-evaluation would fall right around the Sacramento game, so Curry could be back soon after if all goes well. Oblique injuries can linger, though, and the Warriors have every reason to be careful.
Who Has to Step Up
Kristaps Porzingis is away from the team for health reasons, and Golden State is trying to trade his contract by Dec. 16. That leaves the Warriors thin. Draymond Green will have to run more of the offense. De'Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II, Brandon Williams and the rest of the guards need to create shots, not just make them. The front office also has more reason to make a move soon.
The Bottom Line
The Warriors are a top-three offense and the league's best three-point shooting team with Curry. Without him last season, they were a sub-.350 team that scored about 10 fewer points a night. This season they're 8-4 with a four-game cushion over .500 and a mostly road-heavy two weeks ahead. Going 3-3 or better without Curry would keep them in strong shape when he returns.
Follow every Warriors game while Curry recovers: add the Warriors schedule to your calendar with TeamCalendar. It updates itself when game times change.
Sources: NBC Sports, Bleacher Report, StatMuse: 2026-27 without Curry, StatMuse: 2026-27 net rating, StatMuse: 2025-26 with and without, StatMuse: career without Curry, SI: Warriors' record without Steph, CBS Sports (2022), 2026-27 Warriors season (Wikipedia)