The Golden State Warriors announced that Stephen Curry has suffered an oblique abdominal tear and will miss at least two weeks, with the 38-year-old to be reevaluated in two weeks. The injury occurred early in the first quarter of Wednesday night's game against the Houston Rockets, when Curry grimaced in pain while releasing a three-pointer after coming off a screen. He signaled to the bench, and after a timeout he went into the locker room in visible pain. He was ruled out for the rest of the game and sent for an MRI, which revealed the injury, and the Warriors lost 115-108.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said there was a high level of concern about Curry's status, and Curry told him the pain was something he had never felt before, describing it as a tweak in his abdomen or side. Curry left the game with obvious discomfort, grabbing at his right side above the hip, and scored only three points in about five and a half minutes. The two-week timeline means he will miss at least six games, starting with a matchup at San Antonio on Friday, and some reports suggest the return-to-play window for similar oblique injuries is around two to three weeks, which would put his return near the start of December.S1S3

The timing is difficult for Golden State, which had won eight straight games and had found its rhythm despite being without Jimmy Butler, Moses Moody and Kristaps Porzingis. Curry was averaging 27.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists while shooting 45.7% from three-point range, and the Warriors are off to an 8-4 start. Curry also missed 39 games with injuries last season, and the Warriors were just 13-26 without him, which raises concern about their depth. Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg is expected to take on more responsibility, while Brandin Podziemski is set to handle more of the scoring load.S1S3