SACRAMENTO, Calif. _ The loud thud prompted gasps throughout the arena. The incident signaled more concern on if the Golden State Warriors can ever stay healthy.
The Warriors cemented a 112-96 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday with Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson finally playing together for the first time in eight games. Yet, everything centered on second-year guard Patrick McCaw, who was transported to UC Davis for further evaluation after taking a hard fall with 41.9 seconds left in the third quarter.
McCaw drove to the basket for a layup and received a hard foul by Kings forward Vince Carter, which was later determined to be a flagrant foul 1. The foul did not appear intentional, but McCaw immediately landed on the floor with a hard thud. McCaw, who had nursed a lower back contusion last week, immediately rolled over in pain.
He remained on the ground for about five minutes as Warriors trainer Drew Yoder attended to him. Warriors coach Steve Kerr and his players soon stood nearby to offer support. As paramedics eventually came out with a stretcher, the Warriors and Kings respective benches came out to the court as a solidarity show of support. Once McCaw was taken off the court on a stretcher, fans at Golden Center offered a respectful standing ovation. Kings and Warriors players then huddled together underneath the basket.
So much for Kerr's hope that his team can finally become healthy. The Warriors are without Stephen Curry (MCL sprain in left knee) through at least the first round of the NBA playoffs. Warriors veteran forward Andre Iguodala missed Saturday's game because of left knee soreness, and is unlikely to play on Sunday against the Phoenix Suns at Oracle Arena. And Warriors guard Omri Casspi sat for the sixth consecutive game because of a sprained right ankle.
"Please send up prayers thoughts love to my guy," Curry tweeted. "God please heal his body and keep him strong!"
The Warriors (55-21) already entered this game without much concern about the bottom-line results. They are locked into the Western Conference's No. 2 seed despite what happens in their six remaining regular-season games. Meanwhile, the Kings (25-43) will stay at the bottom of the Western Conference.
Still, the Warriors hoped this at least marked the first step they could beat somebody without Curry after Kerr expressed confidence his team could beat anybody without him.
After losing seven of their past 10 games, the Warriors avoided their first four-game losing streak since the 2012-13 season. After losing twice to the Kings this season, the Warriors avoided losing to a Western Conference team three times in a season since the 2014-15 campaign. And with Durant, Green and Thompson playing together for the first time since 20 days ago, the Warriors provided a visual reminder on how much three healthy All-Stars changes their team dynamic.
After his return from a rib injury on Thursday against Milwaukee became overshadowed with a league-leading fifth ejection, Durant filled Curry's absence by posting a team-leading 27 points while shooting efficiently from the field (8-of-16), 3-point range (2-of-5) and free-throw line (9-of-11). Durant also added 10 rebounds and five assists.
After missing the past eight games with a fractured right thumb, Thompson played as if the bandage around his thumb did not affect his shooting too much. He posted 25 points on 10-of-19 shooting and 3-of-7 from 3-point range. Thompson also appeared aggressive in both attacking the basket and banking on mid-range shots.
In his second game since nursing a overlapping injury (pelvic contusion) and ailment (flu) that kept him out for the previous four games, Green showcased his versatility in scoring (eight points), rebounding (nine) and playmaking (seven) in extended minutes (34).
Unexpectedly, those developments became an afterthought. All the attention centered on McCaw, who stayed on the ground for about five minutes writhing in pain.
For a Warriors team that prides themselves on having strength in numbers, they offered a mixed identity with three healthy All-Stars and a likely serious injury to a key reserve player.
