SAN FRANCISCO– Golden State Warriors fans can breathe a small sigh of relief as Stephen Curry avoided anything concerning following his midgame exit in the Dubs' narrow 131-124 loss to the Detroit Pistons. Curry underwent an MRI on his right knee, which revealed patellofemoral pain syndrome, otherwise known as “runner's knee.” Runner's knee causes pain and discomfort around the kneecap.
It's an injury Curry's been carrying for the past couple of games– the same one that kept him sidelined on the backend of the Warriors' back-to-back in Minnesota. Coach Steve Kerr described the injury as day-to-day, so while it's not a major injury for the Dubs' lone star, it puts his status up in the air for Golden State's home matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Warriors have already lost Curry's co-star, Jimmy Butler, for the season due to a torn ACL, making it imperative that Curry's health remains intact if the Warriors hope to stay afloat. But in the six games since the Dubs have had to muscle through without him, Curry has evidently had to carry a large load on offense.
The increased workload likely has something to do with his runner's knee, as it's an injury that can occur due to overuse. Against Detroit, Curry could be seen walking gingerly throughout the game until he really reaggrevated it on an And-1 bucket on the Pistons' Ausar Thompson.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) is fouled by Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley (10) in the fourth quarter at Target Center.
Matt Blewett-Imagn Images
Managing Stephen Curry's workload
With teams even more likely to load up on the Dubs' remaining offensive engine, Kerr talked about the balancing act of managing Curry's health while also remaining competitive.
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“Rick [Celebrini] and I had this exact conversation today,” Kerr said. “Everything changes daily. We're constantly talking, talking with staff, checking in with him to see how he's feeling. The knee last night was the same thing that kept him out of the Minnesota game last week. And I would imagine it's something that we have to really monitor here, especially before the All-Star break, where we've got to see if he can take on his usual workload, or does he need to miss a game here or there. That's something we have to figure out.”
Kerr also acknowledged that teams will continue to guard Curry like the Pistons did– faceguarding, ball denial, grabbing him off-ball, all the things that can take a toll on his body. But the longtime coach also pointed out that while it remains a popular strategy, not every team has the personnel to replicate what Detroit did.
“They're one of the most athletic teams in the league,” Kerr explained. “That's what they do. That's their style. And [Ausar] Thompson and his brother both are just athletically, as big and quick as any defenders Steph is going to see all year long. So a lot of teams try to guard stuff like that, not all of them have the personnel to do.”
Steve Kerr talked about how Steph Curry’s load has changed since they lost Jimmy Butler for the season:
“It definitely puts a lot more stress on Steph’s shoulders not having Jimmy next to take over the offense when needed.”
Kerr also talked about managing Curry’s health. https://t.co/yrT9bPJr8O pic.twitter.com/pMzbBrxeUo
— Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) February 1, 2026
Curry will have two more days of rest before the Sixers come into town for Golden State's final game before the impending trade deadline.