Steph Curry exited the floor right before tip-off pic.twitter.com/8vvEXfrUmt
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) February 21, 2021
A bizarre scene unfolded on Saturday night just before the Warriors tipped off against the Charlotte Hornets. It was billed as one of those Stephen Curry homecomings, where he’s excelled throughout his career (a career average of 28.6 points per game there), facing the up-and-coming Hornets led by LaMelo Ball.
Nope. Just before the game was scheduled to begin, and about 15 minutes after the Warriors announced Curry would be in the starting lineup, he was pulled from the floor, walked into the locker room with trainer Rick Celebrini, and was scratched. Mychal Mulder took his place.
Just a few minutes later, the Warriors announced that Curry was not feeling well and would not play in Saturday’s game. Dell Curry, Steph’s father and broadcaster for the Hornets, said he wasn’t sure why Curry was pulled but was told before the game by a security guard that he wasn’t feeling his best.
According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic and the Hornets’ broadcast via the team’s Warriors’ VP of communications Raymond Ridder, this is not related to COVID-19 protocols.
This is not a health and safety protocol absence for Steph Curry, I'm told. Not feeling well. But not pulled off the court by the NBA.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 21, 2021
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