Heartbreak hit the Bay Area on Friday night. Just when Dub Nation was riding high, reality slammed them back down. Their guiding light, Stephen Curry, went down with a scary injury. The Warriors were finally at full strength—something they hadn’t seen since the Jimmy Butler era—as they hosted the Toronto Raptors. But before they could even make it through four quarters, disaster struck. Another injury. A big one.

Around the third-minute mark in the 3rd quarter, the Dubs trailed by 5 points. Steph took the responsibility of closing out the quarter on a high. Instead of dancing around the perimeter, the superstar battled the dominant Raptors’ defender at the rim. While he did slide in a few layups already, he went on to drop another one. Unfortunately, this time, the veteran body got sandwiched between Raptors’ Jonathan Mogbo and Colin Castleton in mid-air.

On his way down, Stephen Curry took a massive fall to his back. Immediately, the 4x Champ screamed in grueling pain. While the rest of the players battled for the rebound, Steve Kerr immediately called for a timeout.

Curry crumpled to the floor, wincing in pain as the medical staff rushed over. For a moment, every Warriors fan held their breath. But then—a small sigh of relief. Steph picked himself up and made his way to the bench.

That relief didn’t last long. Moments later, he was headed to the locker room, clutching his back. The crowd was torn—do they focus on the tight game or the fate of their franchise star?

Meanwhile, Jimmy Butler stayed locked in. With Curry out, he took matters into his own hands, helping the Warriors claw their way to a one-point lead by the end of the third quarter.

What happened to Stephen Curry? When will he return?

With a quarter left in the game, the Dubs still had a lot of work to do. Looking at the promising signs of Stephen Curry walking to the locker room, everyone expected the superstar to return to the floor. However, the team announced that he sustained a tailbone injury (pelvic contusion) and won’t return for the rest of the game. 

Following the update, tension filled the air. The Chase Center crowd muttered through the quarter. Draymond Green, sitting on the bench, looked helpless. But it didn’t last long. Rookie Quinten Post brought the crowd alive, hyping them up, and the Warriors caught fire.

Jimmy Butler once again took up the responsibility, dropping his 3rd triple-double of this season. The Dubs fought hard and took home a thrilling 117-114 win. However, the victory wasn’t sweet after Curry’s injury. With only 12 games left in the season, the Warriors still haven’t secured their 6th spot. So, the superstar’s absence will indeed cause trouble. So, when will he return? There isn’t any clarity on the severity of the injury, but the pelvic contusion usually takes a day to a week to recover with rest and ice. 

It means the superstar wouldn’t miss more than a week. Hopefully, Jimmy & Co. put the team in a better spot until then.