Stephen Curry 2019: Warriors Guard Expected to Carry the Team Amidst Kevin Durant’s Absence, Klay Thompson’s Uncertain Status

The third game of the NBA Playoffs is slated to take place on June 6, with Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors entering the match heavily battered up. Coach Steve Kerr already announced that Kevin Durant will not be playing on Wednesday due to his calf strain.

Meanwhile, Klay Thompson suffered a mild hamstring tightness in Game 2 that saw him getting sidelined for the rest of the match. As such, it is up to Stephen Curry to carry the Warriors in the upcoming game, putting more pressure on his already stacked plate, The Washington Post reported.

In Game 2, the Toronto Raptors employed a box-and-one defense designed to stifle the effectiveness of a team’s superstar while leaving the supporting cast open. It’s unclear whether or not the Raptors will use this scheme again. However, given that Kevin Durant is out and Klay Thompson is limited, it’s safe to assume that this sort of defense will be used yet again to decrease Stephen Curry’s effectiveness.

Kawhi Leonard did say that they only use the box-and-one due to the fact that KD and Thompson were both absent on the floor at the time. Of course, they did pay the price for it when the Raptors left Andre Iguodala open that resulted in a dagger three that ultimately closed Game 2. Whatever the case, the Raptors will undoubtedly be smothering Stephen Curry again, which means that the other Warriors need to step up their game if they want to lead the series from here on out.

With the absence of Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and DeMarcus Cousins has done just that in Game 2. Hopefully, both players will maintain their tenacity tomorrow as the Raptors are expected to learn from their previous blunder. As for Stephen Curry himself, he said that he’s ready to take on the Canadian team despite their roster suffering injuries on top of injuries.

“We’re very locked in and focused on adapting to the circumstances that are thrown at us right now. There’s been a lot of injuries and uncertainty of even who is going to play. We have been through a lot, had a lot of different experiences. This is just adding to that book,” Stephen Curry said. The guard’s optimism is commendable given that he himself is also enduring a finger sprain that has yet to heal a month after sustaining the injury.