Stephen Curry's injury represents the Warriors' first major test of their strength

SAN FRANCISCO — Nothing shakes the core of Golden State Warriors fans like the sight of Stephen Curry limping. If the highlights of his 16 years are the four championships and shining moments, the low points are certainly the seasons that ruined his anterior talofibular ligaments.

The groan in Chase Center that Sunday night as Curry limped across the court in the third quarter before turning to his place on the bench gave voice to the churning stomachs of excited Warriors fans. The same sudden fear was evident in Curry. His defiant limp explained, “Oh no. Don’t do this to me now!” as he tried to drive away the pain.

Curry despises getting hurt. Adding insult to injury to his wounded pride was the fact that the start of this season is crucial for the Warriors. It went so well. The good chemistry started in training camp in Hawaii and led to a productive preseason. Two stunning victories at the start of the season in Portland and Utah ensured a flawless atmosphere in Golden State.

Curry worked out alone with a resistance band on his left ankle while sitting on the bench, after speaking with an athletic trainer. He checked in again and limped straight to the locker room 13 seconds later after twisting his ankle again. This time he limped straight into the locker room.

It ruined the Warriors' home opener. They fought all night long against the athletic and physical Los Angeles Clippers. With the reigning Clutch Player of the Year in the locker room in the final period, the Warriors couldn't score enough points and lost 112-104.

Now let's look at the Warriors' strength. If the mood can hold the fort.

The bench got a pretty good makeover on Sunday. Anyone who played for more than a minute was a minus point on the pitch. The 3-point shooting gave them away: 4 of 16 from deep in the fourth quarter and 14 of 43 overall. The formula that resulted in a plus-77 goal margin in the first two games resulted in a dud in the home opener.

Much of the conversation centered around coach Steve Kerr's 12-man rotation. The difficult thing about having so many players worth playing is analyzing the minutes. Kyle Anderson was the odd man out that night.

“I was only with Kyle for four minutes,” Kerr said, “and he was great on the bench in the second half, leading everyone and talking to the guys. “You have to have that when you're doing that and in front of a lot of people want to play with people. Everyone has to be on board. I couldn’t have been more impressed with Kyle’s professionalism.”

That's kind of what the Warriors have planned for this offseason. The loss of Klay Thompson and the turnovers and failures of the stars who replaced him prompted general manager Mike Dunleavy to return the Warriors to their “strength in numbers” roots. They stocked up on veterans and wings. They have improved their versatility and addressed some of their glaring issues in committee. They are prepared for guys to miss games.

Of course, losing Curry in the third game of the season, and for an extended period of time, is like an interim test in the first week.

“He’s fine,” Kerr said. “I think he used the word mild or moderate. Apparently he's sprained his ankle many times before, so he doesn't think it's that bad. But it’s obviously a cause for concern.”

The results of the MRI he had on Sunday evening will show the severity of this sprain. But we already know that Rick Celebrini, the Warriors' vice president of player health and performance, tends to be cautious.

Curry is likely to miss the home game against New Orleans on Tuesday and Wednesday. A week off would bring him back to Washington on Monday, a three-game absence.

Stephen Curry limps to the locker room after suffering an ankle injury. (Kavin Mistry/Getty Images)

At this point everything is speculation. But after a decade and a half with Curry, one can make assumptions based on his reaction. The fact that he tried to keep playing and the coaches allowed him to, felt like a good sign. His phantom sprain on his return – that's what he always called it when he rolled it without contact – was a sign that he will need some rest.

It may be sooner than expected, but that was always going to happen. The Warriors counted on that. They preach patience because they know that an 82-game season brings such setbacks.

Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield have the best chances.

Kuminga only took 10 shots in his 22 minutes. Even with the revamped roster, he still looks like a contributor on offense rather than the focal point. He was 1 of 6 from 3 and made do with jumpers in the Warriors' space-limited lineups. No Curry could force the Warriors to go small to generate offense. They can hardly afford to put three non-shooters on the court when one of the other two isn't the best of all time.

Draymond Green, who starts at center, also gets a big man out of the field, theoretically giving Kuminga room to operate.

Hield would make sense as a starter. Despite his 3-for-14 shooting on Sunday, including 1-for-9 from 3, he is clearly crucial to the Warriors' offense. The Clippers certainly noted that Hield went 12 of 16 from three in the first two games and paid special attention to him coming off the bench. Golden State will need the space and gravity of its best available shooter.

Does Kerr start DeAnthony Melton at point guard or Brandin Podziemski? The latter fits better with the tempo you want to play. But Podz is also 1 of 14 from 3-point range, so if Green is going to be the de facto point guard, Melton would make more sense as a spot-up shooter.

Either way, they need to play as much inspired basketball as they need to to win. If Curry is right about the severity of the sprain, he shouldn't be out long enough to make it through the season. So this should be the first quality control test of the Warriors' grand plan.

If they are fierce, if the camaraderie is real, if the depth is valid, it will show as long as Curry is out.

This happened towards the end of Sunday night's game. With Curry out and a 13-point deficit, the Warriors began to slow down. Kevon Looney and Andrew Wiggins led the attack. The Clippers only scored twelve points in the final six minutes.

Looney had a steal and a fast-break layup to cut the Clippers' lead to 101-95. After a layup by Looney, Wiggins hit a 3-pointer to cut the Warriors' deficit to one point.

It wasn't enough to win. But it was enough to give the sentiment credibility.

“I loved our fight,” Kerr said. “I thought Loon came in and lit a fire under us. I thought that was the first time that night that we really competed on both ends.”

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Steph Curry sprains his left ankle in the game against the Clippers

(Top photo of Stephen Curry grimacing during Sunday's game: Kavin Mistry / Getty Images)