Stephen Curry injured as Suns inch closer to clinching No. 1 seed

Two injuries to MVP-caliber point guards are of note on Thursday as the Phoenix Suns close in on clinching the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference before the playoffs begin.

Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry suffered a sprained ligament in his left foot on Wednesday against the Boston Celtics and is sidelined indefinitely, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported on Thursday.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne add that Curry’s injury should not keep him out beyond the regular season, but he is seeking further evaluation.

That will impact how Golden State, which just got All-Star Draymond Green back from an injury on Monday, can move up or down in the Western Conference standings before the playoffs begin.

Curry’s injury comes as the Warriors sit a game behind the No. 2 seed Memphis Grizzlies and 9.0 games out of the No. 1 spot occupied by the Phoenix Suns.

Phoenix (56-14), which beat the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night, has 12 games remaining in the regular season.

The Suns’ magic number of securing the top seed from the Grizzlies is five combined wins or Memphis losses. The Grizzlies on Tuesday in a win over the Indiana Pacers were notably without their best player, Ja Morant, due to a back issue.

Morant was listed as doubtful for that game, and Memphis next plays Friday at the Atlanta Hawks.

The magic number for Phoenix when considering keeping the top spot from the third-place Warriors is four.

Curry went down with a left foot injury late in the first half Wednesday, and Golden State coach Steve Kerr didn’t like Celtics guard Marcus Smart’s lunging move at the reigning NBA scoring champ.

“I thought it was a dangerous play. I thought Marcus dove into Steph’s knee,” Kerr said. “That’s what I was upset about. Lot of respect for Marcus, he’s a hell of a player, gamer, competitor. I coached him in the World Cup a few summers ago. We talked after the game, we’re good. I thought it was a dangerous play, just let him know.”

Curry was injured with 4:19 remaining in the second quarter along the sideline while scrambling for a loose ball as Smart made a diving lunge on the play and landed on the point guard’s leg. Curry grimaced in pain and got up but hobbled along before exiting on the next dead ball moments later.

That came when Smart made another aggressive play, receiving a Flagrant 1 foul 4:09 before halftime when he leapt and caught his leg on Klay Thompson’s shooting arm.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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