Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry during an NBA game.
Carmelo Anthony didn’t hesitate when asked what separates Steph Curry from other all-time greats, and his answer lands at a time the Golden State Warriors can’t afford many more nights without their star. Anthony dropped the latest Curry take in a report fromNBC Sports Bay Area.
Warriors News: Is Steph Curry playing tonight?
Curry is out for Thursday night’s matchup against the Boston Celtics, per the team’s latest update/injury designation referenced in NBC Sports Bay Area coverage. That means Golden State will once again have to cobble together scoring and late-clock creation without the player who still defines its entire ecosystem.
Anthony, speaking with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Tristi Rodriguez at All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, put Curry’s impact in blunt, league-wide terms.
“Steph changed the game,” Anthony said, pointing to how Curry stretched defenses well beyond the 3-point line and forced opponents to rethink how they guard, prepare and defend the Warriors. Anthony called Curry a “game-changer” and suggested the effects of that shift will last a long time.
The timing is the point: Golden State is 29-26 at the All-Star break, and the margin for error tightens quickly the rest of the way.
Steph Curry News: Carmelo’s point hits harder now because the Warriors are living it
Anthony’s “changed the game” label isn’t just a legacy compliment; it’s a reminder of what disappears from Golden State’s identity when Curry isn’t on the floor.
When Curry plays, defenses pick him up earlier, trap higher, and overreact to even a hint of relocation movement. That’s the hidden math of Curry’s gravity: it bends help defenders, opens short rolls, and turns routine possessions into scramble drills. When he’s out, opponents can defend Golden State more traditionally, stay home, switch cleaner, and live with tougher shot quality from everyone else.
That’s why the Warriors’ post-break stretch isn’t simply about “surviving” a Curry absence. It’s about keeping their season objectives intact while the thing that makes them uniquely dangerous is temporarily off the board.
The injury update, plus why it matters for the next 2-3 games
NBC Sports Bay Area’s coverage frames Curry’s situation as a real injury management issue, not just a quick maintenance day. The team is clearly trying to avoid the kind of setback that turns a short absence into a multi-week storyline.
For fans tracking this night-to-night, the important practical piece is that Curry is not available vs. Boston, and the Warriors’ short-term offense has to run through secondary creators, quicker decisions, and more structured shot-hunting from the jump.
If Golden State can’t reliably generate advantages early in possessions, it often shows up late: fewer catch-and-shoot looks, more contested pull-ups, and heavier burden on players to create something from nothing.
Why the urgency spikes: the roster context changed
The other pressure point is the one Warriors fans already feel: Jimmy Butler is out for the remainder of the season after an ACL tear. Whether or not that move was supposed to be the “final piece,” losing a high-usage veteran this late in the year compresses the path forward.
That’s why Anthony’s last note is quietly telling: he believes Golden State will keep competing “until the wheels fall off,” and that as long as Curry is Curry — with Draymond Green and the remaining core pieces — the Warriors can still give themselves a chance.
Who is available: Warriors injury report highlights
Here are the key Warriors listings to know heading into Celtics night:
Stephen Curry — Out (right patellofemoral pain syndrome)
Jimmy Butler — Out (right ACL surgery)
Seth Curry — Out (left sciatic nerve irritation)
Kristaps Porzingis — Questionable (left Achilles injury management)
Porzingis is the swing piece. If he’s cleared, it would be a major roster/tactical update for Golden State’s frontcourt rotation, especially against a Boston team that can toggle between size and spacing. For now, the official status remains questionable.
What happens next
The Warriors don’t need poetic praise; they need availability and momentum. But Anthony’s comments work as a clean framing device for the final stretch: Curry isn’t just a superstar who scores 27 a night. He’s the structural advantage the Warriors are built around.
And for at least one more night, they’ll have to chase a win without it.