SAN FRANCISCO—In a matter of months, the once-unbeatable Warriors have gone from a starting lineup featuring five All-Stars to a cast of youngsters almost nobody knows.
At least to start the season, they had staples Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Kevon Looney to lean on for leadership.
Now, Curry and Looney are hurt and Green is dealing with a balky back. And the Warriors have looked anything but dominant during a 1-3 start.
“It’s been a tough start for us on many levels, so we’re just trying to find our footing,” coach Steve Kerr said. “This puts us in a tough spot, so we’ll assess it and go from there.”
Curry joined Splash Brother Klay Thompson as the latest sidelined star.
The two-time MVP broke his left hand in a 121-110 loss to Phoenix on Wednesday night and it remained unclear a day later how long he might be sidelined.
Thompson could miss the entire season recovering from July 2 surgery for a torn ACL in his left knee that he hurt in a Game 6 loss in the NBA Finals that gave Toronto its first title.
Curry underwent a CT scan on Thursday but the team said it would have specialists evaluate the results before providing an update on his status.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns of Minnesota were suspended two games without pay for an on-court altercation and continued escalation.
Kiki VanDeWeghe, NBA’s executive vice president of basketball operations, announced the suspensions on Thursday, a day after the 76ers score a 117-95 win.
The star players were ejected after tangling with 6:42 left in the third quarter and the 76ers ahead 75-55. —AP