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Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors warms up before their game against the Miami Heat at Chase Center on January 19, 2026 in San Francisco, California.
Two-time MVP Stephen Curry didn’t look too injured as he watched his Golden State Warriors teammates overcome a 17-point deficit to stun the Memphis Grizzlies, 114-113, on Monday night. However, the game marked the fourth consecutive contest that Curry sat out with a lingering knee injury that has bothered him since back-to-back games against the Minnesota Timberwolves last month.
To make matters worse, the Warriors have already ruled out Curry for Wednesday’s showdown against the San Antonio Spurs, the last game before the All-Star break, and for the All-Star game itself, with the franchise eyeing a return later this month.
Stephen Curry Injury Update
Could Curry be cleared in time for the Feb. 19 contest against the Boston Celtics, the first game after the All-Star break?
Renowned sports doctor Dr. Nirav Pandya, M.D., who has served as a consultant for several NBA teams, has offered a grim update on Curry’s injury.
“RE: Stephen Curry resting until after the All-Star break is totally in line with what to expect when older athletes are dealing with patellofemoral syndrome,” Pandya wrote on X. “Rest is a key component of recovery along with focused rehab on the surrounding structures around the knee joint. #DubNation”
Pandya’s report suggests that Curry’s injury could be a lingering one that could bother him for the rest of the 2025-26 season, even if he temporarily regains full fitness.
Stephen Curry Return Timeline
The one piece of good news for the Warriors is that they’ve braved the Curry injury, not to mention Jimmy Butler’s season-ending ACL tear, and maintained their winning ways. Their win on Monday marked their second in three games and fourth in their last eight. That’s why Curry strongly believes his teammates can keep the Warriors afloat, while he bides his team and tries to regain full fitness.
In a chat with ESPN’s Anthony Slater, Curry made it clear that he won’t rush his return.
“It’s a matter of learning as I go what works rehab-wise,” Curry said of the knee issue. “Because it’s still painful. You have to try to get rid of all the inflammation and pain. It’s something we still have to monitor and injury-manage, but it’s something where, if I come back too early, it could flare up.”
Curry’s injury first surfaced during the back-to-back games against Minnesota last month. The pair of games was originally scheduled for three nights, but the schedule was altered due to the riots in Minneapolis. After leading his team to a 111-85 win in the first of the back-to-backs, Curry revealed something “flared up” during practice.
“Something flared up yesterday when we came over to get a workout in,” Curry revealed, via NBC Sports Bay Area.
“It was super weird. Like, I’ve had stuff going on — quads and whatnot — but it was something that I hadn’t felt before, so I definitely took advantage of the day off to get right, but hopefully that continues.”
The Warriors, for obvious reasons, sat out Curry on the second night of the back-to-back against the Timberwolves. Since then, Curry has appeared in just two games, but played under 30 minutes in both contests. Clearly, the Warriors have been cautious.
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan
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