Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is fitting football-style plastic shin guards to keep his leg protected from recurring shin contusions. Curry has had to miss a few games due to the nagging problem and is hoping that the new shin guards would help him bring out his “Messi mindset”. The Warriors took on Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night and the player was seen wearing shin pads to help him recover faster.
The American played 29 minutes in Warriors’ 128-108 win against the Blazers and prevented a further shin bruise with the help of his new shin pads. The bruise had flared on contact three times in his last four games. He scored 26 points on 8-of-18 shooting and 4-of-11 from 3, as well as nine assists.
"I've got to bring out my Messi mindset tonight, so we'll see," Curry said before the game, referring to Barcelona forward and football icon Lionel Messi. This is not the first time Curry, the current NBA MVP, has referred to four-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi after expressing his admiration for the Argentine back in November.
"We both have a creative style, a feel when you are out on the pitch or the court," Curry said. "I love watching him play. I'm a big fan, and he's the guy you watch play because you never know what he is going to do at any particular moment."
Messi, on the other hand, returned the praise in December, showing an autographed Curry jersey on Instagram.
Warriors hoping to have Curry back to full fitness soon
The Warriors will be keen on keeping Curry fit for the remainder of the season as he is their most key player. They have been nearly impossible to play whenever Curry played this season. The Warriors are a minus-5.5 points per 100 possessions when Curry isn't in the game and a plus-23.2 per 100 possessions when he is playing.
However, Curry aggravated the injury twice and left the games against Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers on January 2nd and 5th respectively. The Warriors medical staff have said that the bruise would take about four weeks to heal but Curry revealed that he has no plans to sit out for that long. "We'll keep trying out stuff till we find something that works," Curry said, "and then once I obviously, hopefully, get through this, I'll be back to my normal attire."
Warriors would be hoping to get him back to full fitness soon as they are looking to successfully defend their championship this season.
Guess the Lakers players!
