Stephen Curry minutes restrictions, explained: Why Warriors star isn't playing full game during NBA Play-In Tournament

It’s nary concealed that Stephen Curry is connected the backmost 9 of his NBA career. However, NBA fans truly became acquainted with however rapidly the inevitable was approaching aft it was shared that helium would beryllium connected a minutes regularisation successful a must-win Play-In Tournament crippled against the Clippers.

The Warriors fell abbreviated of their preseason expectations and limped to the No. 10 effect successful a crowded Western Conference. This was mostly owed to their 2025 blockbuster commercialized acquisition, Jimmy Butler, tearing his ACL this January and efficaciously ending his season.

Shortly aft Butler went down, Curry noted genu pain. While helium expected this would not sideline him for long, helium ended up missing conscionable implicit 2 months of this season. After returning for 4 of the team’s last 5 regular-season games, caput manager Steve Kerr announced that Curry would beryllium taxable to a minutes restriction.

Here’s what you request to cognize astir Curry’s minutes restriction, including a reappraisal of his NBA wounded history.

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Steph Curry minutes restriction

This past Sunday, Warriors caput manager Steve Kerr opened up, saying that Curry would beryllium connected a minutes regularisation for the team's must-win Play-In Tournament crippled against the Los Angeles Clippers. According to Kerr, the perennial All-Star would beryllium playing little than 40 minutes aft precocious returning from a lengthy genu wounded that sidelined him for much than a 4th of the season.

Curry did negociate to play 4 of the team's last 5 games of the season, averaging 20.3 points crossed 26.8 minutes per game. In those games, the Warriors went 1-3.

Along with Curry, some Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford volition besides play little than 40 minutes. The Warriors volition request to marque the astir of constricted minutes from a fewer of their amended players, arsenic Jimmy Butler volition besides not beryllium playing owed to an ACL teardrop earlier this season.

MORE: What is the docket for this year's NBA Playoffs?

What happened to Steph Curry?

During a workout earlier a crippled against the Minnesota Timberwolves connected Jan. 24, Curry cited symptom and swelling successful his close knee. However, helium decided to powerfulness done the symptom and proceed playing. Less than a week later, Curry was forced retired of the lineup connected Jan. 30 and would extremity up missing 27 games this play implicit the span of conscionable implicit 2 months.

This was a astonishment to Curry, arsenic originally, helium had anticipated lone missing astir a week, according to ESPN. However, the symptom proved to beryllium excessively overmuch to play through, and the Warriors did not privation to instrumentality immoderate chances connected their franchise's champion player.

When asked if this genu wounded was thing helium would request to negociate the remainder of his playing days, this is what the prima said:

"Yes and no. There's thing structurally incorrect with my knee. So it's not similar I'm compromised retired there. It is simply a caller normal, though, if that makes sense."

MORE: What did Draymond Green accidental astir teams tanking?

Steph Curry wounded history

Curry has missed extended clip astatine a fewer antithetic points passim his 17-year NBA career. Let's instrumentality a look astatine those injuries and however they impacted the Warriors.

Season	Injury	Missed games	Record
2011-12	Ankle, foot	56	10-30
2015-16	Knee	6	4-2
2017-18	Ankle, knee	16	6-10
2019-20	Hand	58	13-45
2022-23	Leg	10	6-4
2024-25	Hamstring	4	0-4
2025-26	Knee	27	9-18

During the 2011-2012 season, Curry missed implicit 50 games for the archetypal clip successful his vocation aft extended ligament harm successful his ankle. The prima needed to get country connected it doubly successful the span of 2 years. At the opening of the adjacent season, the Warriors decided to hazard giving Curry a four-year, $44 cardinal declaration extension. Despite being a high-risk, high-reward situation, Golden State's caller title past proved this to beryllium the close move, and Curry would spell connected to triumph 4 championships for the franchise.

Curry's worst wounded came astatine the opening of the 2019-2020 campaign. After breaking his manus that October, the sharpshooter was retired for aggregate months, fundamentally ending immoderate changeable of Golden State contending for the playoffs that year. They would spell connected to onshore the 2nd prime of the 2020 Draft, erstwhile they selected James Wiseman.

This season, Curry was sidelined for conscionable implicit 2 months with patellofemoral symptom syndrome successful his close knee, besides known arsenic runner's knee. The symptom and swelling successful Curry's close genu initially popped up connected Jan. 24 during a workout anterior to a crippled against the Timberwolves, but helium played done it for a fewer games earlier leaving the lineup Jan. 30. While Curry expected to lone miss "a week, 10 days max," according to ESPN, the wounded proved to beryllium overmuch much terrible than him oregon the squad primitively anticipated.

MORE: How often has Steph Curry been wounded during his career?