The Houston Rockets were more than a menace for the Warriors in Game 5. Their double-big zone defense stifled the Warriors’ defense, and Stephen Curry was a particular target for them. Not only did they restrict Curry to just 13 points, but they repeatedly targeted his injured right thumb. Curry aggravated his lingering thumb injury near the end of the regular season, and the Rockets’ players made sure to strike his hand whenever the chance arose. This helped them to a blowout 131-116 win and left Steve Kerr asking for a rule change in the offseason that discourages extra contact on shooters. But Houston remained defiant, saying that it was part of the plan. So, ahead of Game 6 in Bay, Curry’s thumb was once again a big storyline.

While he has been able to play through pain during the playoffs, there was a growing concern whether he would be able to make it to the game on Friday. ESPN’s Shams Charania clarified his status before the tip-off.  “I’m told Stephen Curry has told people around the Warriors and people around him that, ‘Yeah, it hurts, but I’m not talking about this.’ … He’s gonna continue to play on. He’s not using that as an excuse. He doesn’t even wanna talk about it.”

For much of this season, Curry has quietly battled a lingering injury to his shooting hand—specifically, his right thumb. You may have caught glimpses of the splint during games or seen him icing it in postgame pressers. But true to form, Curry hasn’t made a fuss. He’s played through the pain, never letting it become an excuse. Only a few know how bad it truly is for Steph. His wife and high school sweetheart, Ayesha Curry, seems to be among them.

In the second quarter, with the Rockets leading 53-48, Curry made his way through the tunnel and seemed to approach Ayesha in the stands. The cameras caught a glimpse of her as she checked on her husband’s thumb and looked worried. What’s more is that Steph’s body language didn’t inspire confidence in things being okay, either. Watch the video below:

As was the case in Game 5, the Rockets proved to be too much for the Warriors as they won 115-107 and forced Game 7 after being 3-1 down in the series. After the game ended and the Dubs lost, Steph made his way over to Ayesha once again.

This time, Canon Curry, his youngest son, was sitting next to her. As soon as Curry got close, Canon, upset by the loss, collapsed back into Ayesha’s arms. Steph tried his best to talk to his son, but Canon also seemed upset by the result. This might be the mood of the entire Dub Nation at the moment.

In Game 5, Steve Kerr decided to call off his starters with more than 18 minutes left on the clock. While Kerr was adamant that he was not “going to chase this game,” with another one in 48 hours, the strategy for now seems to have backfired. The Rockets capitalized to close out the encounter on Wednesday and carried that momentum through in Game 6.

Fred VanVleet led the way with 29 points, eight assists, and eight rebounds, and Alperen Sengun notched up 21 points and 14 rebounds as the Rockets forced Game 7 in the first-round playoff series. For the Warriors, it was the same old problem of dealing with a stubborn Houston defense that proved to be their undoing.

Golden State also turned the ball over 17 times, leading to 22 opponent points, and allowed 19 second-chance points. They shot just 41.1% from the field and went 15-of-49 from three-point range. They entered the fourth quarter down 86-84, but ended by giving up a 20-5 run while missing 14 of their first 15 shots in the period.

Despite a typical late Steph Curry flurry, who ended up with 29 points, Steve Kerr’s men ended up on the losing side for the second time in a row. While Curry was able to get the Warriors back in the game, did his thumb injury hamper his start to the contest?

Could Stephen Curry’s thumb injury be the reason behind subpar first quarter in Game 6 vs Houston Rockets?

Now, a player grabbing 16 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal in one half isn’t bad by any means. In fact, for any other player, this is a sign of a great game for them. However, when it comes to arguably the greatest point guard of all time, the standards must be higher. And in the first half, specifically the first quarter tonight, Steph seemed uncharacteristically sloppy.

In the first 12, Steph seemed to be in a daze, half-asleep almost. He attempted only 3 shots, although he made two of them. He ended the first quarter with only 5 points. Now, that in itself is problematic. But Steph also made a lot of errors in the first, many unforced. He had an unnecessary turnover after a bad pass that Tari Eason picked off. Then another bad pass by Curry was stolen by Amen Thompson, and finally, yet another terrible pass led to the ball going out of bounds.

He also had 2 personal fouls, one to start the first quarter and one to end it. However, Steph seemed to wake up in the second quarter, as he hit two 3-pointers and ended the quarter with 11 points. But in that time, he also added another turnover and a personal foul to his stat sheet. All in all, he didn’t look comfortable at all during the first half of this game. And his lingering injury could very well be the reason.

While Curry scored 29 points, he also shot 9 of 23, going 6 for 16 from beyond the arc, something that would concern the Warriors heading into the decisive game.