Warriors’ Stephen Curry says knee pain is new but ‘not concerning’

PHOENIX – Stephen Curry said tendonitis in both knees is something he’s never dealt with before, but he and the Golden State Warriors got ahead of it to make sure it doesn’t become a “nagging” problem.

After missing a game due to bilateral knee soreness, Curry returned and scored 23 points in 32 minutes, but couldn’t stop the Warriors from losing their fourth straight game with a 113-105 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Saturday at the Footprint Center to lose.

“It has the potential to be like an annoying thing if you don’t take care of it,” Curry said of the knee pain after the game. “I’m not worried about it, not worried at all. The deeper you get into your career, the more things come up and you just have to figure it out.”

Curry, 36, said Rick Celebrini, the Warriors’ vice president of player health and performance, has developed a protocol to get ahead of the problem. Curry said he wasn’t sure if that meant he would have to miss any games in the future due to maintenance.

“Honestly, I was glad I got through 30 and didn’t feel like it was going the other way,” Curry said. “I felt like I was pretty strong. I got stronger as the game went on and they responded well. Whether it’s a back-to-back game here or there or whatever, we’ll decide as the game goes on.”

“But I’m just trying to control my emotions and know that it’s not a forced decision. It’s a wise decision. That’s all I’m trying to make happen.”

Curry sat out Wednesday’s 105-101 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder with what the team described as “bilateral knee and patellofemoral pain.”

Curry missed three games earlier this season with an ankle injury. He was also on the injury report for left knee bursitis, but did not miss a game due to that injury. He entered Saturday’s game averaging 29 minutes per game.

“He’s 36,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Curry’s knee. “It’s all part of getting older and managing your minutes, your body, and Rick and his staff are the best in the world at what they do and we work on this together every day. So we’ll make it work.”

Curry got off to a slow start in Phoenix, going 0-for-5 from the field and scoring just two points in the first half. Curry scored 15 points in the third quarter and the Warriors cut their 17-point deficit to five with 1:11 left, but Devin Booker made four free throws to help the Suns win.

Curry has two days off before the Warriors try to overcome their four-game deficit against MVP Nikola Jokic on Tuesday in Denver.

“I had to play better in the first half, get myself going,” Curry said. “I was just sort of testing it out to see how they react with the little break, there’s a lot to sort out as a team.