Warriors brace for about a month without Stephen Curry, and Draymond Green says ‘the spirit of this team is better’ than last season

The Golden State Warriors are preparing to play without Stephen Curry for longer than the two weeks they announced on Thursday. Shams Charania reported Thursday afternoon that Curry is expected to miss close to one month with the oblique abdominal tear he suffered in Wednesday’s 115-108 loss in Houston, and that the team is bracing for him to miss a double-digit number of games.

Draymond Green had already made his case for why this group can handle it. Speaking in the visitors’ locker room in Houston before the MRI results came back, Green said the Warriors are in a better position to survive a Curry absence than they were a year ago. “I think the spirit of this team is better,” he said. “We’re more certain on who we are, what makes us a good team, and I think that puts us in a better position to be successful without him as opposed to where we were last year.”

In anticipation of Steph Curry missing time, Draymond Green believes these Warriors are better equipped than last season to stay afloat without him.

"The spirit of this team is better. We're more certain of who we are, what makes us a good team."

"I think that puts us in a… pic.twitter.com/kUz6sg6wTu

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) November 12, 2026

Two weeks to re-evaluation, a month to return

The Warriors said Thursday that the MRI Curry had on Wednesday night confirmed the tear and that he will be re-evaluated in two weeks. Charania said that check-up will decide how much more rehab he needs. “The Warriors will be evaluating Curry in about 14 days, and at that point they’re going to get a better feel for his recovery, how much time he’s going to need in his rehab, whether it’s going to require three weeks or four weeks or more,” he said.

Just in on NBA Today — Golden State star Stephen Curry expected to miss close to one month: pic.twitter.com/hRYgkq9kM3

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 12, 2026

Curry hit a 28-foot three with 7:22 left in the first quarter, yelled in pain after the release and left the game with 6:25 to go in the quarter. Steve Kerr said afterward that Curry told him he “tweaked something” in his abdominal area and had never felt that injury before. The two-week window alone covers seven games: Friday at San Antonio, then at New Orleans, Dallas and Memphis to finish the road trip, home games against Boston and Sacramento, and a Nov. 27 trip to Portland.

Green: Lendeborg and Podziemski change the math

Last season the Warriors went 13-26 in the 39 games Curry missed. Green pointed to two players who were not in that picture. “And then obviously Yax, you know, having a guy who you can still get a ball to who can create an advantage,” he said. “BP’s playing a lot better, you know, so with the growth of BP, the growth of a lot of our young guys, incorporating Yax, who’s showing to be a really good young player in this league, I think it definitely puts us in a better position.”

Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg backed that up in Houston. With Curry gone, he scored 25 points with 10 rebounds, and Brandin Podziemski added 22. Golden State was down 15 after the first quarter, got within one before halftime and was still within three early in the fourth before Houston pulled away. “I think we’re much better,” Green said.

Golden State is 8-4 and 1-1 this season in the two games Curry sat out for rest. The depth behind him is also thinner than usual. Jimmy Butler III and Moses Moody are working back from knee injuries, Brandon Williams is out with a hamstring strain, and Gary Payton II and Kristaps Porziņģis also missed Wednesday’s game. That leaves more of the ball-handling with Podziemski, De’Anthony Melton and LJ Cryer, who scored 13 off the bench in Houston, and more of the offense running through Green and Lendeborg.

What’s next

The Warriors play the Spurs, who have won 10 straight, in an Emirates NBA Cup game on Friday, Nov. 13, at 9:30 p.m. ET, which is 4:30 a.m. Saturday in Cairo. They visit New Orleans on Monday, Nov. 16, at 8 p.m. ET (3 a.m. Tuesday in Cairo). Our injuries page will track Curry’s status as the re-evaluation date gets closer.