The post Stephen Curry’s minutes limit explained: Why Warriors star didn’t play a full game during NBA Play-Ins originally appeared on The Sporting News. Click here to add Sports News as your go-to source.
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The Warriors fell short of preseason expectations, barely finishing in 10th place in a crowded Western Conference. That’s largely due to their blockbuster trade in 2025 to acquire Jimmy Butler, who tore his ACL in January and effectively ended his season.
Shortly after Butler went down, Curry noticed pain in his knee. While he didn’t expect it to keep him out for too long, he ended up missing more than two months of the season. After returning for four of the team’s final five regular-season games, head coach Steve Kerr announced Curry would be on a minutes restriction.
Here’s what you need to know about Curry’s minutes limit, including a look at his NBA injury history.
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Stephen Curry minutes limit
On Sunday, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr publicly stated that Curry would be on a minutes restriction in the team’s must-win playoff game against the Los Angeles Clippers. According to Kerr, the perennial All-Star recently returned from a long-term knee injury that sidelined him for more than a quarter of the season.
Curry did play in four of the team’s final five games of the season, averaging 20.3 points in 26.8 minutes per game. In those games, the Warriors went 1-3.
Along with Curry, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford also played less than 40 minutes. The Warriors will need to take advantage of the limited playing time of some of their better players, as Jimmy Butler will also be sidelined due to a torn ACL he suffered earlier in the season.
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More: What is the schedule for this year’s NBA playoffs?
What happened to Stephen Curry?
On January 24, during a practice before a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Curry reported pain and swelling in his right knee. However, he decided to push through the pain and continue playing. Less than a week later, Curry was forced from the lineup on January 30 and missed 27 games this season in just over two months.
This came as a surprise to Curry, who was expected to miss only about a week, according to ESPN. However, the pain proved too much to bear, and the Warriors didn’t want to take any chances on their best player.
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When asked if the knee injury was something he would have to deal with for the rest of the game, the star had this to say:
“Yes and no. There’s nothing structurally wrong with my knee. So I’m not compromised. It’s the new normal, though, if that makes sense.”
More: What did Draymond Green say about his team’s tanking performance?
Stephen Curry injury history
Curry has missed extended periods of time several times during his 17-year NBA career. Let’s take a look at these injuries and how they impact the Warriors.
|
season |
Injuried |
miss game |
Record |
|
December 2011 |
ankle, foot |
56 |
10-30 days |
|
2015-16 |
knee |
6 |
4-2 |
|
2017-18 |
ankles, knees |
16 |
6-10 |
|
2019-20 |
hand |
58 |
13-45 |
|
2022-23 |
leg |
10 |
6-4 |
|
2024-25 |
Hamstring |
4 |
0-4 |
|
2025-26 |
knee |
27 |
9-18 days |
In the 2011-2012 season, Curry suffered serious ankle ligament damage and missed more than 50 games for the first time in his career. The star required two surgeries in two years. At the beginning of next season, the Warriors decided to take a risk and give Curry a four-year contract extension worth $44 million. Although it was a high-risk, high-reward situation, Golden State’s recent championship history proved it was the right move, and Curry would go on to win four championships with the team.
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Curry’s most serious injury occurred early in the 2019-2020 season. The sharpshooter missed several months after suffering a broken hand that October, essentially ending Golden State’s chances of contending for the playoffs that year. They then selected James Wiseman with the second overall pick in the 2020 draft.
Curry missed more than two months of the season with patellofemoral pain syndrome in his right knee, also known as runner’s knee. Curry’s pain and swelling in his right knee initially popped up in practice before a game against the Timberwolves on Jan. 24, but he held on for a few games before being removed from the lineup on Jan. 30. While Curry was expected to miss only “a week, up to 10 days,” the injury proved to be much more serious than he or the team initially expected, according to ESPN.
More: How often has Stephen Curry been injured in his career?
