The Golden State Warriors’ momentum hit a severe roadblock on Wednesday night in Houston, and the 115–108 defeat to the Rockets ultimately took a back seat to a far more alarming development. Franchise superstar Stephen Curry was forced to exit the game in the opening quarter due to right abdominal soreness, leaving the organization waiting anxiously for medical imaging results. As head coach Steve Kerr admitted that anxiety is understandably sky-high, even Inside the NBA weighed in on the sudden medical emergency.
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The main concern centers around the unprecedented nature of Curry’s discomfort and the immediate vulnerability it creates for a surging Warriors squad that, until the Houston matchup, was on an eight-game winning streak. Curry logged just six minutes in the first quarter, scoring three points before laboring and heading straight to the locker room after a timeout at the 6:25 mark.
Speaking to reporters postgame, Kerr revealed the initial details on the 38-year-old guard’s status.
“He just said he tweaked something in his abdominal area, and says he’s never done it before, and he went to get an MRI tonight, so we haven’t heard anything about the results,” Kerr explained before addressing the team’s anxiety level directly. “I mean, concern is high, but I have no idea the extent of the injury.”
While the team and fans wait for a thorough assessment, the Inside the NBA crew had a lot to say about the tense moments from the Warriors-Rockets game (including the Marcus Smart-Charles Bassey altercation). While discussing the physical toll of the 2026–27 season, Charles Barkley did not mince words regarding the severity of a core muscle issue.
“That’s a terrible injury, too,” Barkley, who’s dealt with something similar in his Phoenix tenure, said, before immediately pivoting to joke with Rockets legend Kenny “The Jet” Smith, “Yours came from eating too much.”
As Smith steered it back, saying, “His [Curry’s] came from playing,” Chuck quipped back: “A Big Mac knocked a rib out of place!”
While Chuckster’s trademark studio humor provided levity, the reality facing the Warriors is stark. Entering the matchup, averaging a stellar 30.6 points per game while shooting over 50% from the field, Curry has been the force behind the Warriors’ early-season turnaround from a 0-3 start.
Golden State’s ongoing five-game road trip has already been derailed, snapping their impressive winning streak and dropping their record to 8–4. Despite a valiant effort from rookie standout Yaxel Lendeborg, who poured in 25 points and 10 rebounds, and Brandin Podziemski’s 22-point night, the Dubs simply lacked the necessary firepower down the stretch against Houston’s deep rotation.
Fortunately, there was a glimmer of internal optimism at halftime. Warriors’ Will Richard revealed that Curry addressed his teammates in the locker room to calm their nerves.
“We talked to him at halftime,” Richard noted. “He made sure to let everyone know he was okay.”
Even so, an abdominal tweak of this nature for a player of Curry’s age and workload demands extreme caution. The Warriors are already severely depleted, navigating the long-term absences of Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody, alongside a mild hamstring strain sidelining Brandon Williams and Gary Payton II battling knee issues.
With a brutal upcoming schedule, including a clash against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night, followed by a taxing Dallas-Memphis back-to-back set, the Warriors will need their rising young core, led by Lendeborg and Podziemski, to shoulder a massive burden while their star great point guard is evaluated.