Month: December 2022

Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry will likely miss multiple weeks after injuring his shoulder during Wednesday night’s game against the Indiana Pacers. ESPN reporter Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted the news; Curry was scheduled to get an MRI in Philadelphia on Thursday.

Curry was dealing with a sore right knee prior to Wednesday night’s game against the Pacers, and was unsure whether he would play. Curry was injured with about two minutes left in the third quarter as the Warriors tried to rally from a 20-point halftime deficit. His three-point play with 4:16 to go in the third got Golden State within 83-80. When Pacers forward Jalen Smith dribbled toward the baseline, Curry tried to stop him by sticking his left arm out. Smith continued, and Curry’s arm bent back awkwardly. Curry grabbed his shoulder while standing hunched over on the court then walked to the locker room during the next timeout. Prior to leaving, Curry accounted for half of the Warriors’ 54 first-half points and finished with seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr said: “The trainers told me midway through the fourth quarter that he wasn’t going to return. I trust their judgment. I only spoke to him briefly after the game, so I haven’t had a chance to talk with him yet.” Curry isn’t expected to speak to reporters again until Friday, when the defending NBA champs visit Philadelphia on the third stop of a six-game trip.  Kerr added: “This is a tough stretch of the season and if Steph’s out, it gets tougher for sure. If we’re healthy, I feel like we can beat anybody — I think this team has proven that. We’ve just got to find a way to get there.”

Curry’s injury is just the latest for the Warriors; All-Star guard Klay Thompson missed his second straight game with a right knee injury, and Andrew Wiggins sat out with an abdominal injury. If Curry misses any substantial time, the Warriors will suffer: Said Kerr: “He basically put us on his shoulders for the minutes he was out there. He was getting to the line, finding other people and I thought the guys did great job of battling … Steph’s always a guy with a great outlook on life, so we’re hoping for the best.”

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The Dallas Mavericks announced on Thursday that forward Maxi Kleber tore his right hamstring during Tuesday’s practice. In a short statement, the team said: “Treatment options are being considered. At this time, there is no timetable for Kleber’s return and updates will be given when appropriate.”. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Kleber is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks.

Kleber played 31 minutes in Monday’s winning game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and after being listed as questionable on the injury report for Wednesday’s game vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers, he was ruled out entirely. The Mavericks next host the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday.

The 30-year-old, 6-foot-10 Kleber is averaging 6.2 points (49/37/79 shooting splits) and 3.5 rebounds in 25.6 minutes off the bench for the Mavericks this season. The Mavericks are 1-5 without Kleber so far this season so his injury is bad news for Dallas, who ranks ninth in the Western Conference through the season’s first two months.

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France beat Morocco 2-0 in the semifinals of the World Cup at the Al Bayt Stadium on Wednesday, and will face Argentina for the first time on Sunday in the World Cup 2022 final. An early goal from Theo Hernández just five minutes into the game, and an additional goal from substitute Randal Kolo Muani earned the defending champions France the win.

France’s Kylian Mbappé will play for his second World Cup title at the age of 23, and French coach Didier Deschamps hopes to become the first manager to win two straight World Cup titles since Italy’s Vittorio Pozzo in 1934 and 1938, and France the first nation to go back-to-back since Brazil in 1958 and 1962. France are hoping to become the first team in 60 years – and third team ever – to retain the World Cup crown in back-to-back tournaments.

Argentina’s Lionel Messi will play in his second World Cup final and what will most likely be his last ever match for La Albiceleste. It would be the first World Cup victory for a South American side since Brazil in 2002, and the first for Argentina since 1986.

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Shortstop Carlos Correa and the San Francisco Giants have agreed to a 13-year, $350 million contract, making Correa the highest-paid shortstop in MLB history. The agreement includes no opt-out and a full no-trade clause.

The 28-year-old Correa spent 2015-2021 with the Houston Astros. The eight-year veteran earned Rookie of the Year honors in 2015, and hit a career-high .315 with 24 home runs in 2017 — going on to win the World Series in 2017 with the team.   The two-time All-Star hit a career-high 26 home runs and collected 92 RBIs in his final season with the Astros, before signing a one-year, $35.1 million pact with the Minnesota Twins last off-season. Last season, Correa hit .291 with 22 home runs and 664 RBIs in 136 games with the Twins. Overall, he owns a career .279 average over regular-season appearances.

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