The Golden State Warriors are heading into the second half of the 2025-26 NBA season without their engine. Steph Curry, who has not played since Jan. 30 when he exited a loss to the Detroit Pistons with right patellofemoral pain syndrome — more commonly known as runner’s knee — will miss his sixth consecutive game Thursday night against the Boston Celtics at Chase Center. Curry attended NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles but did not participate in any events, spending most of his time recovering with the Warriors’ training staff. He did go viral for draining a shot from the in-venue studio at Inglewood’s Intuit Dome — a reminder that even in street clothes, Curry cannot help but put on a show.
The Warriors are holding their breath. And the rest of the NBA is watching closely.
What Curry’s Absence Actually Means for Golden State
Curry has appeared in 39 games this season and missed 16. He is averaging 27.2 points per game while leading the entire NBA in three-pointers made per game at 4.5 and free throw percentage at 93.1% — numbers that would be elite for a player in peak health, let alone one managing a knee injury through the back half of a season. The problem is the math. With the games he has already missed, Curry can afford to sit out just one more game to remain eligible for All-NBA honors — an award he is now in serious danger of missing for the first time since the 2019-20 season, when he appeared in just five games.
That detail matters beyond the individual accolade. All-NBA status carries contract implications and legacy weight that neither Curry nor the Warriors organization takes lightly.
Can the Warriors Chase a Fifth Title Without a Healthy Curry
It is the question ESPN’s Danny Green and Chiney Ogwumike debated on NBA Today Thursday — and there is no clean answer. The Warriors have four championships in the Curry era, the last coming in 2022. Golden State has retooled significantly since then, most recently acquiring Kristaps Porzingis from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield. Porzingis, who won the 2024 NBA title with Boston and is averaging 17.1 points per game, has not played since Jan. 7 but was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice and is listed as questionable for Thursday with a minutes restriction of around 15.
Head coach Steve Kerr has been measured in his updates, describing both Curry and Porzingis as trending in the right direction while stopping short of any firm commitments on timing. The Warriors are taking it one day at a time — which, in a playoff race, is not the same as taking it easy.
The Warriors’ Playoff Position and What Is at Stake
Golden State’s situation heading into the second half is complicated. The team has shown it can compete without Curry — their grit during his absence has drawn genuine praise — but the ceiling of this roster without its cornerstone is a fundamentally different conversation than the one that starts when he is healthy. The Warriors’ championship window, many analysts argue, is directly tied to how much Curry has left in the tank and how healthy he can stay through a playoff run.
At 37 years old and in his 17th NBA season, Curry is not just the best player on this roster — he is the reason the fifth ring conversation exists at all. Without him, Golden State is a competitive team. With him fully healthy and locked in for a playoff push, they are something else entirely.
Steph Curry and the Legacy He Is Still Writing
What makes this moment particularly compelling is the context Curry himself provided during his All-Star Weekend interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews. He spoke openly about the knee, his desire to return and his belief in what this Warriors group can accomplish. The message was clear — Curry is not done, and he does not intend to let a runner’s knee write the final chapter of his story in Golden State.
Whether the Warriors can deliver a fifth title in the Curry era will depend on what happens over the next several weeks. The return timeline is uncertain. The motivation is not.
