The Golden State Warriors looked utterly defeated when forward Kevin Durant was forced to leave the game with an Achilles injury. Fortunately, it appears point guard Steph Curry was able to keep the team's morale high.
Despite the loss of Durant, the Warriors still managed to hold on and secure a victory to keep their championship hopes alive. According to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports, power forward Draymond Green credits Curry with keeping the team together:
“You could kind of just feel the life just go right out of us,” Draymond Green said. “But to Steph's credit, he kind of rallied the troops. He talked to everybody, went around the huddle and just told everybody to stay locked in and do this for Kevin. And I think we did a good job of coming together.”
It is encouraging to see that Curry was capable of keeping his team engaged during one of the most difficult moments of the season. The Warriors had allowed the Raptors to take a commanding 3-1 series lead in Durant's absence. As a result, they seemed to be banking heavily on him leading a potential resurgence upon his return.
Early on, it appeared as though he was going to be able to do just that after dropping 11 points in the first quarter. Unfortunately, his return was short-lived when he suffered the injury in the second quarter. His departure would have been the defining moment of Golden State's demise had it not been for Curry's heroics soon thereafter.
Not only was the Warriors' star there to console his teammates, he backed up his words with actions on the court. Curry finished the game with 31 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. It is safe to say that he will need to continue to serve as a stabilizing factor if Golden State has any hope of making a comeback this series.
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