Dipo Olowookere
If you are looking to make NBA parlay picks over the next few weeks then the recent injury to Stephen Curry might change some picks for you. This injury couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Warriors as they just got Draymond Green and Klay Thompson back into the fold.
The injury to Curry occurred on Wednesday night in a play that most members of the Golden State Warriors viewed as dirty. Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics dove into the leg of Curry as they were going for a loose ball, and the former MVP immediately had to leave the game.
Curry was scheduled for an MRI on Thursday morning, and the news was not great, but it was better than it could have been. The MRI revealed that Curry has a sprained left foot, but there is a chance that he makes a return before the regular season finale.
Since Golden State is always going to be extra cautious with their superstar, Curry is scheduled to meet with Dr. Richard Ferkel as well. Ferkel is a foot specialist and he will be coming up with a plan to get Curry back onto the floor.
The trio of Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green have played a total of 11 minutes together all season long, and that could spell some trouble in the playoffs. The Warriors are also seeing their playoff position change as they have gone through a string of rough play.
Golden State has actually slipped to the number three seed in the Western Conference, trailing the Memphis Grizzlies by one game in the standings. The Warriors spent the first half of the season right on the heels of Phoenix for the top seed, but are now close to being eliminated from that position.
Simmons Still Sitting Out
The Brooklyn Nets are still waiting on Ben Simmons to make his debut with the team, but there is some hope that it will happen before the postseason. Simmons appears eager to get on the floor for Brooklyn, but he is still nursing a lower back injury.
Brooklyn was expecting Simmons to join them on the floor this week, and an initial target date of Friday had been announced. The team has some concerns as Simmons has not been able to workout for more than two days in a row without having a flare up.
The Nets appear to be headed for a spot in the play-in tournament as they will try to work their way into the NBA Playoffs. Brooklyn can still be a legitimate title contender, but that won’t be the case unless Simmons is able to get on the floor.
Brooklyn has gone just 36-34 through their first 70 games, and this is a much worse record than what was anticipated.
Lakers Losing Without Davis
The Los Angeles Lakers are another team that is playing without a superstar, and that might be the case for the rest of the year. Anthony Davis is currently out of the lineup with a right foot injury, and it’s unclear when he will return to the lineup.
The Lakers are in serious danger of missing the playoffs this season, and that becomes an even bigger problem without Davis in the lineup. There is some hope that the return of Davis will put the Lakers back at the top of the Western Conference, but that doesn’t appear likely at this time.
Recent reports from the Lakers have suggested that Davis is expected to return at some point in April, but that isn’t the first report suggesting a Davis return. If Los Angeles continues to lose games without the superstar center then it might be time for the Lakers to shut Davis down.
This current LA Lakers roster was put together by LeBron James, and there are plenty of veterans playing alongside the star. The absence of Davis is obviously a big blow, but there are plenty of deficiencies on this roster.
