Dub Nation’s worst fears have manifested, and the concern only grew as the night unfolded at Chase Center. On a night when the Golden State Warriors hosted the Detroit Pistons while riding a strong run of form, Stephen Curry was forced to exit in the second half, shifting the entire mood in the building.

After his departure, the Warriors found themselves trailing 109-117 in the fourth quarter, suddenly without their best late-game closer to stem the tide. Momentum had already started to tilt Detroit’s way, and with Curry done for the night, Golden State’s uphill climb became even steeper.

The Warriors soon made it official, ruling Curry out for the remainder of the game after he left late in the third quarter with a knee issue. The setback was particularly troubling because he aggravated the same knee that had already given him problems in Minnesota, raising fresh questions about how long the discomfort has been lingering.

Before the injury, Curry had done his part to keep the Warriors in it, putting up 23 points on 7-of-16 shooting in just 25 minutes, along with 1 rebound, 2 assists, and 1 block. The turning point appeared to come on a driving layup on the last play of his stint, when he seemed to aggravate the knee, prompting the coaching staff and trainers to act quickly.

From there, Pat Spencer stepped in to absorb Curry’s minutes, doing just enough to keep the Warriors within striking distance. With Spencer helping orchestrate the offense, Golden State managed to trim the deficit to 124-129 in the closing minutes, though the absence of their superstar loomed over every possession.

If there was any silver lining for the Warriors, it was in how Curry exited the floor. Wrapped knee and all, he walked gingerly but under his own power to the locker room without assistance, even if his expression made it clear he was in discomfort.

For now, all eyes turn to the medical updates and the team’s next announcement on his status. Until the Warriors provide more clarity on the severity of the injury, the uncertainty around Curry’s knee will continue to hang over their season.

The Dubs naturally don’t want to lose Stephen Curry at this critical juncture. The Warriors are rapidly losing star power since Jimmy Butler’s season-ending ACL tear, followed by Jonathan Kuminga’s injury.

It ultimately was not meant to be. While Curry was still in the locker room, the Warriors lost 124-131 to the Pistons, showing just how cautious the team has to be about his injury going further.

Stephen Curry’s knee injury is a persistent concern for the Warriors

When the Warriors’ January 24 game against the Timberwolves was postponed by a day, Stephen Curry had gotten a workout in with some teammates. He was listed as questionable when the game resumed on Sunday.

Yet he played a complete 28 minutes, had 26 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals while moving up to the top 20 all-time scorers list.

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Yet it wasn’t hard to miss that he had been limping the entire game and played through visible pain when another player stepped on his toe.

He later confirmed that his knee flared up the previous day. “I’ve had stuff going on with quads and whatnot, but it was something that I hadn’t felt before. So, I definitely took advantage of the day off to get right, but hopefully that continues.”

It however was not an ideal situation for back-to-back games. While the Warriors served a blowout 85-111 loss to the Wolves on Sunday, the Wolves turned the tables with a 108-83 win. Curry had to sit out this game which made the difference.

He returned the next game against the Utah Jazz to lead the Dubs to a 124-140 win. It’s more than obvious he’s essential to the Warriors’ offense during this crucial stretch of the season.

Throughout 38 games this season, he has put up MVP calibre numbers averaging 27.3 points, 3.6 assists and 4.9 rebounds while shooting at 46.8% from the field and 39.0% from 3-point range.

But the Warriors have to make some trade deadline decisions to reduce his load and avoid further injury.