The Golden State Warriors dropped a surprisingly close game to the Detroit Pistons, 124-131, on Friday night.
The outcome of the game itself is not necessarily frustrating. The Pistons are one of the hottest teams in the league as they sit atop the Eastern Conference, and every game the rest of the season is going to be a struggle for the Warriors with Jimmy Butler out.
In fact, most of the team actually played well. De'Anthony Melton went for 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field. Draymond Green knocked down four of his nine 3-point attempts on the night. Even Buddy Hield got in on the action with 10 points.
Yet [Stephen Curry left the game](https://bluemanhoop.com/stephen-curry-injury-deals-warriors-another-problem-after-pistons-loss) in the second half with right knee soreness. Even if he is not forced to miss any time, this is just the latest instance in an infuriating trend that has cost the Warriors in the past and could cost them down the stretch.
Teams are allowed to play Curry as physically as they want, and it's infuriating
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This season, Curry is playing some of the best ball he has in recent years. Through 39 games, he's averaging 27.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists while knocking down 39.1% of his shots from beyond the arc. He was named an All-Star starter, and it's clear that he's still at the height of his powers.
With Butler [out for the season](https://bluemanhoop.com/warriors-come-to-jimmy-butler-realization-absolutely-no-one-expected-01kfpqnr68bd) with a torn ACL, Curry's availability will be absolutely paramount for Golden State.
Yet throughout his career, opponents have been allowed to guard and grab him with impunity. Both Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland II were tasked with the job of guarding Curry on Friday night, and both could be seen physical impeding his off-ball movement repeatedly.
For Warriors fans, this is nothing new. But it clearly takes a physical toll on Curry.
The Houston Rockets did it religiously in their first-round series last year, and it was almost certainly a contributing factor to the hamstring strain that kept him out of their second-round matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
To be clear, this is not an accusation being levied at Thompson and Holland. The injury that forced Curry out of the game was a re-aggravation of the soreness that kept him out of the game in Minnesota. It's entirely possible the injury was already limiting him before he even stepped on the floor.
But it is just another instance of an increasingly infuriating trend, and it is one that could cost the Warriors their dearest player down the stretch of the season. They need Curry available, and to see him in pain is frightening, to say the least.