The Warriors now have a major hurdle in their way of a second straight NBA title.
Though Golden State took a commanding 3-1 series lead against Houston, it didn't come without a price. Steph Curry, who sat out all of the team's Game 3 loss with an ankle injury, left Game 4 with what was believed to be a sprained knee on Sunday. He is set for an MRI Monday.
The Warriors jumped out to a 2-0 series lead on their home court with a 104-78 win in Game 1 and a 115-106 triumph in Game 2.
Houston then made it a series by toppling the Curry-less Warriors, 97-96, in Game 3 on a last-second shot by James Harden, whom the league later acknowledged should have been whistled for a foul on the final play.
Golden State handed Houston a 121-94 loss on Sunday as the series prepares to shift back to the Oracle Arena for Game 5 on Wednesday. If he truly does have a sprained knee, Curry could miss several games, which may include the entire second round if Golden State advances.
The Warriors' most likely Round 2 opponent is the Clippers, who lead the Trail Blazers 2-1 in their series. Golden State's players know how important the reigning MVP is to their prospects of winning back-to-back titles.
"Our margin for error without Steph is far less than what it is when he's on the court, because he can make up so much on his own," Draymond Green told USA Today Sports. "He can draw so much attention that we get easier stuff. We know that. That's one of the things we figured out when playing without him. That definitely raises a sense of urgency, because you know everything has to be spot-on."
Curry had six points in Sunday's win before departing, while Klay Thompson notched a game-best 23 and Green led the team with eight rebounds.
The reigning MVP's wife, Ayesha Curry, who has had her own issues this series, prepared some comfort food for Curry, but it'll take much more than that to get him back onto the court.
A video posted by Ayesha Curry (@ayeshacurry) on Apr 24, 2016 at 8:25pm PDT
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