Returning from a 10-game hiatus, Moses Moody had the team’s high score before everything went wrong. A no-contact injury in overtime to the Golden State Warriors star brought silence to 18,821 fans seated at the American Airlines Center. The visuals were gruesome, and an update from head coach Steve Kerr was not ideal. Even the doctor’s assessment provides no respite for the Dub Nation.
Moody had stolen the ball from the Mavericks’ rookie Cooper Flagg and had an uncontested shot at the basket. He planted his left leg to go up for the shot and instead lost the ball as he crumpled to the court with 58 seconds remaining in the extra period.
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In the immediate aftermath of Moody’s exit, Dr. Nirav Pandya, a leading orthopedic surgeon and professor at UCSF, took to social media to explain the type of injury. “This is just one still image, but in general what you see here is the patella not in the right position relative to the femur. In patellar dislocations, the patella usually moves lateral (outside) when it dislocates. When the patellar tendon ruptures, it moves straight up.”
Further, the doctor added that an MRI will be key as a combination of other ligament injuries can also happen. “But when you see the patella (kneecap) not in the right position, you have to worry about a patellar tendon rupture, patellar dislocation, or a larger knee dislocation (multiple ligaments).”
If it’s a major knee dislocation, it’s further bad news for the Warriors.
This is just one still image but in general what you see here is the patella not in the right position relative to the femur. In patellar dislocations, the patella usually moves lateral (outside) when it dislocates. When the patellar tendon ruptures, it moves straight up. This… https://t.co/CCbxKpv4H5
— Dr. Nirav Pandya, M.D. (@DrNiravPandya) March 24, 2026
It’s comparable to severe ACL injuries (a 9-12 months recovery baseline in the NBA). In fact, Moses Moody was carted off late in overtime against Dallas. After the whistle, Warriors coach Steve Kerr put his hands to his face as the Mavericks’ home arena went silent.
Steve Kerr on Moses Moody’s injury
The Warriors’ bench, including Stephen Curry, reacted in shock, visibly distraught by the incident. Fans have been pouring in heartfelt recovery messages all over social media. But Kerr immediately put his hand to his face and knew clearly that it was awful. However, the head coach is still hoping for the best.
“I saw his leg buckle, and saw him go down in a heap in pain,” said Kerr. “And we don’t know what it is, but it sure looked bad. I was just hoping for the best, you know. But it looked bad. I mean, Mo is such a great human being, great teammate, wonderful guy to coach. Just puts in the work every day. So great to finally have him back, you know, after he missed whatever it was, eight or ten games. And then for that to happen, like I said, we’re just praying that it’s not too serious, but it sure looked serious.”
Moody, 23, was averaging a career-high 11.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game this season, his fifth in the NBA. During the game against the Mavericks, the Golden State was without Stephen Curry (knee injury), Jimmy Butler III (season-ending knee injury), and Al Horford (calf). Missing Moody is a big blow.
