Stephen Curry questionable for Game 2 due to ankle

ByABC News
April 16, 2016, 7:33 PM

— -- Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr says star Stephen Curry is "questionable" for Game 2 of the team's playoff series against the Houston Rockets after rolling his right ankle. Curry tweaked the ankle after missing a shot with 2:12 remaining in the second quarter, as he turned to get back on defense.

Curry, who has a history of ankle problems, twice left Saturday's 104-78 Game 1 victory after tweaking his ankle. He finished with 24 points, but barely played in the second half of a rout.

"As far as [Game 2 on] Monday, I'd say say Steph is questionable," Kerr said. "We will see how he responds the next couple of days and go from there."

While listed as "questionable," Curry envisions he'll play on Monday.

"Right now, don't see a scenario where I'll be out," Curry said at the postgame podium.

"Obviously if it's not right and I'm at risk of further injury or what not, that's the only thing that we'll have to worry about," Curry said. "Pain tolerance and all that stuff, I kind of know what I can deal with on the court. But you don't want anything more serious to happen, favoring an ankle or what not. So that's what we'll kind of pay attention to the next two days."

After the injury, Curry went to the locker room with 1:07 remaining in the half. He reentered the game, but was substituted out by Kerr.

"I didn't like the way he was moving when he went back out in the third quarter," Kerr said. "He wanted to stay in, but he wasn't moving well, so we weren't going to play him regardless of what happened."

Curry lobbied Golden State assistants to appeal to Kerr, but the case fells on deaf ears. "We all swung and missed," Curry said.

Though the game was a blowout, Curry found himself in a few physical exchanges. Most notably, Curry shoved Rockets' point guard Patrick Beverley, after Beverley committed a reach in foul and got tangled on Curry's arm.

"It set the tone, we didn't want to come out here and start fights, of course not," Beverley said. "That's not what we're trying to do, we're trying to go out here and play basketball. We're not backing down from anybody and we're trying to win a basketball series."

Curry was asked if Beverley is a "dirty player," and pushed back against that notion.

"Nah, he's an aggressive player," Curry said. "He plays hard. He tries to get under your skin with certain things that he does but that's kind of his M.O. I wouldn't call it dirty at all."

Beverley said it's actually not his goal to irritate opposing players.

"I'm not trying to get under anybody's skin," said Beverley, who roomed with Curry at developmental basketball camps while the two were growing up. "If that's how they feel, that's how they feel, I can't help that."

Curry seems likely to win his second consecutive MVP and has averaged 30.7 points, 6.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds this season while hitting an NBA-record 402 3-pointers.

The Warriors set a new record for wins in a season, going 73-9 as they chase back-to-back NBA championships. Game 2 of the team's series against the Rockets is Monday night in Oakland at 10:30 Eastern.

Information from ESPN.com Rockets reporter Calvin Watkins was used in this report.