By Joe Stiglich / The Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO—Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry “definitely” plans to return this season from his broken left hand and is hoping to be back on the court at “some point in early spring.”
When exactly the two-time National Basketball Association (NBA) Most Valuable Player will be able to play again remains uncertain.
Curry addressed the media Monday night for the first time since getting injured October 30 and said he needs a second surgery on his non-shooting hand, probably in early December, to remove pins that were inserted during the first procedure November 1 that involved his hand and index finger.
“[Managing the] swelling is something that’s going to be of the utmost priority early in the rehab process,” Curry said, “to get me a chance to come back and get my range of motion back pretty quickly.”
The Warriors initially said Curry would be re-evaluated three months after the surgery, which would be early February.
Curry referred to himself and injured teammate Klay Thompson as “caged animals right now, wanting to be unleashed.”
Thompson, the other part of Golden State’s Splash Brothers combo, is recovering from surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. The team hopes he can return in the second half of the season.
Curry said he experienced some minor nerve irritation shortly after he underwent his first hand surgery, a common byproduct of the procedure. That’s one thing doctors will continue to monitor throughout his rehab process, and it will impact when he can return.
For now, Curry is working out his lower body and doing whatever training is permitted by the team’s medical staff, saying he’s using this three-month period without basketball as a “mini off-season” to fine-tune his body.
The Warriors’ longest-tenured player had praise for his teammates, who took the court Monday night against Utah with a 2-8 record that was tied with the New York Knicks and New Orleans Pelicans for the worst in the NBA.
Curry described rookie Eric Paschall’s energy as contagious and said the play of new guard D’Angelo Russell has been “unreal.” Asked what the benefits would be for he and Thompson to return to the court this season if it was only for the final few weeks, Curry had an answer.
“Just to understand the chemistry with the young guys,” he said. “We can play around with rotations and just get a vibe of what the following season, when we’re all healthy, looks like.”
HARDEN’S 39 PROPELS ROCKETS
AS usual, scoring comes in concentrated bursts for James Harden.
Harden scored 19 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter and the Houston Rockets beat the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans, 122-116, on Monday night.
The NBA’s leading scorer has averaged 40.6 points in his last eight games, but missed nine of his first 10 three-point shots. Still, with Houston leading by four midway through the fourth quarter, Harden lit his personal fuse and scored 13 consecutive points in a 1:57 span to push the advantage to 110-93.
“I wasn’t really getting to the rim,” Harden said. “The first three quarters I was settling and kind of just being passive. So, I just wanted to be more aggressive, whether it was shooting my shot or getting to the basket.”
Russell Westbrook had 26 points and Clint Capela added 11 points and 20 rebounds to help the Rockets to their fourth straight win.
JJ Redick had 24 points, Josh Hart scored 19, and Jrue Holiday added 18 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds for New Orleans, which played without leading-scorer Brandon Ingram due to a sore right knee.
The Pelicans could not overcome 12 first-half turnovers—six by Holiday in the first half alone—and 29 percent shooting from three-point range in the fourth quarter.
“We’ve just got to start valuing the basketball and we’ve got to stop making the bad turnover,” Pelicans Coach Alvin Gentry said. “You shoot 45 threes—you’ve got to make more than 14 of them.”
The Rockets led 95-82 early in the fourth quarter on Westbrook’s dunk, but the Pelicans pulled to 97-93 on a four-point play by Redick. Harden then took control with his scoring burst.
“It’s go time,” Harden said. “The fourth quarter is winning time, so you’ve got to be more aggressive and make plays whenever they come to you, whether it’s my shot or getting to the basket, shooting my floater or making the right play.”
He started the run by splitting defenders for driving lay-ups on consecutive possessions and then made back-to-back 3-pointers, including one for a four-point play. By the time Harden made two free throws to end the run, Houston led by 17 with 5:20 left.
“It’s what he does,” Houston coach Mike D’Antoni said. “It shouldn’t have been [just a four-point lead]. We have to close games out. We have to play better. We have to play smart, and tonight I didn’t think we did. Good enough to win? OK, but that’s not what we want to be.”
The Rockets committed 17 turnovers and shot just 29.3 percent from the perimeter (12 of 41).
Harden and Westbrook missed 14 of their first 16 attempts on 3-pointers, and finished a combined 4 for 19 from long range. But they did enough with mid-range jumpers and lay-ups.
The Rockets built a 42-31 lead midway through the second quarter, but the Pelicans used an 18-9 run, with eight points coming from Hart, to trim the deficit to 51-49. Despite shooting just 4 for 19 from three-point range, Houston led 58-52 at the half.
Harden struggled early from long range, missing his first four shots. The Pelicans stayed within striking distance on the strength of Redick’s three-point shooting (4 of 6) for 12 first-half points.
Harden’s first three of the game put Houston up 68-57, but New Orleans went on a 17-7 spurt, with seven points by E’Twaun Moore, to cut it to 75-74. The Rockets closed the quarter by outscoring the Pelicans 15-8 to lead 90-82 after three.
Image credits: AP