Spurs-Warriors injury report: Curry out, Fox and Vassell questionable, and NBA Cup stakes

Dub City will be without Stephen Curry when they visit the Spurs in Friday's NBA Cup showdown, but San Antonio can't treat that as a gift. Golden State initially announced Thursday that Curry had an oblique abdominal tear and would be reevaluated in two weeks, but ESPN's Shams Charania reports he's expected to be out closer to a month.

The Spurs are 10-2 and riding a 10-game winning streak into an NBA Cup group game, and Golden State is 8-4 and still dangerous. This one matters a little more than your run-of-the-mill Friday night soiree, and with De'Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell both listed as questionable, here is where everything stands.

Spurs injury report

De'Aaron Fox - Questionable (Left Hip Soreness)
Tobias Harris - Out (Left Calf Strain)
Jayden Quaintance - Out (Right Knee Surgery)
Devin Vassell - Questionable (Left Adductor Tightness)

Warriors injury report

Charles Bassey - Probable (Left Toe Soreness)
Jimmy Butler III - Out (Right ACL Repair / Surgery)
Stephen Curry - Out (Right Oblique Tear)
Moses Moody - Out (Left Patellar Tendon Repair / Surgery)
Kristaps Porzingis - Out (Not With Team)
Brandon Williams - Out (Left Hamstring Strain)

The Spurs can't let the Warriors back into this

Before the injury, Curry was playing at a high level. He was averaging 27.8 points a night on 50% shooting, including 45.7% from three, and he'd made nearly every free throw he'd taken, according to Basketball-Reference.

Without him, the Spurs should be able to contain the Warriors' offense with relative ease if they bring their A-game, though that becomes increasingly difficult if Fox and Dev don't go.

Fans will remember what happened when these teams faced off last November. The Chef scored 46 points in a 125-120 win in San Antonio, then scored 49 two nights later when he hit the free throws that beat the Spurs in the Cup, 109-108, with six seconds left. It was brutal. The Silver and Black lost both games at home, and that's not happening again.

The Spurs are a different team now. They're 10-0 over their last 10, a perfect 6-0 on the road, and third in the league in net rating. The defense is fourth in the league in defensive rating, and that will be the key to stifling a Curry-less Golden State offense.

Point differential matters here, too. It's a tiebreaker in Cup group play, and the Warriors currently hold a small edge at plus-17 to the Spurs' plus-15. So, San Antonio needs to give the Warriors a good ol' fashioned beat down. A win is good, but a big win is better.

San Antonio can't let the Dubs make this a game late because they took them lightly. That team will fight regardless of who's out there. The Rockets saw that last night, as the Warriors forced Houston to earn their win the whole way, despite Steph's early exit.

So, all the good guys have to do is avoid being a victim. If the Spurs hit the gas from the jump, and keep their foot on the pedal, a shellacking should be inevitable.

Check back for any status changes to the players ahead of game time!

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