Steph Curry was the victim of a no-call in the Warriors’ 120-112 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena, and he has the injury to prove it.
After the game, Curry stepped up to the podium with a noticeable welt on his right temple. He explained the play that caused his injury, joking that he might send a photo of the welt to the NBA.
“It’s growing by the second,” Curry said. “It was the drive, I think Austin [Reaves] was trying to take a charge, and I tried to side-step him. No foul though. I’m going to send a picture of my face to the league.”
Despite the injury, Curry finished the game with a team-high 37 points, six made three-pointers, seven rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block in 37 minutes. However, his effort wasn’t enough as the Warriors were defeated by a historic 42-point performance from LeBron James.
Curry might also want to share a concerning stat with the league. He’s averaging just 3.4 free-throw attempts per game this season, which is below his career average of 4.3 attempts per game over 16 seasons. Despite being one of the league’s top players, Curry rarely gets the benefit of foul calls.
Looking ahead, Jimmy Butler, the newest addition to the Warriors following a multi-team trade, could provide some support for Curry. Butler is known for his aggressive playstyle and ability to attack the basket. He’s averaging 6.4 free-throw attempts this season and 6.7 for his 14-year career. His presence on the court should help Curry get more opportunities and hopefully prevent any more injuries to his face.
