Stephen Curry out with sprained ankle

Stephen Curry underwent an MRI today in Charlotte, the results of which confirmed that he suffered a sprained right ankle in last night’s game at New Orleans. The MRI indicated that the ankle is stable and structurally intact.

He will be re-evaluated in two weeks.

And here’s the San Jose Mercury News reporting:

According to that timeline, Curry will miss at least five games, beginning with Wednesday’s night contest against the Charlotte Hornets in what would have marked a homecoming appearance. Curry will then miss games in Detroit (Friday), a homestand against Portland (Dec. 11) and Dallas (Dec. 14) as well as a road game against the Los Angeles Lakers (Dec. 18).

The Warriors will have a heavy task in absorbing the absence of Curry, who has averaged 26.3 points while shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from 3-point range along with 6.6 assists and 5.1 rebounds. Still, the Warriors were relieved of the news since the MRI indicated that the ankle is stable and structurally intact.

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Pistons, Avery Bradley in mini-slump

The Pistons are 14-9, which is one of the best records in the league, but they’re currently on a 3-game losing streak. Also happening lately is, shooting guard Avery Bradley has been missing lots of shots. For more, here’s the Detroit News:

Avery Bradley chased Tony Parker around. He stalked Patty Mills’ dribble. He tried to shoot the gaps on passing lanes and get a steal on a drive to the basket.

It was the least he could do in Monday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs, because he wasn’t able to get much done on the offensive end. Bradley managed three points, on just 1-of-9 shooting, in the Pistons’ 96-93 loss.

There wasn’t much different about Bradley’s approach; the shots just weren’t falling. He’s mired in a mini-slump over the past three games, notching just 7.3 points and hitting just 27 percent on field goals (9-of-33) and 1-of-13 on 3-pointers.

That’s a significant drop from his previous 12 games, when he posted 18.3 points, hitting 47-percent from the field and from beyond the arc.

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Ryan Anderson should return soon

The Rockets are one of the best teams in the NBA this season, and they should have a key piece back in action soon. Here’s the Houston Chronicle reporting:

Ryan Anderson should return soon from back issue

The Rockets listed forward Ryan Anderson as questionable to play against the Utah Jazz on Thursday, with his availability to be determined how the tightness in his lower back responds to two practices since he left Sunday’s game. But Anderson has improved so much since his back “locked up” that he was cleared to practice on Tuesday at UCLA.

“It’s feeling a lot better,” Anderson, who had a neck injury in the 2013-14 season, but has not had issues with his back, said.

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This week in Utah Jazz history

Dec. 4, 1993: The Jazz retired uniform No. 35 in honor of Darrell Griffith. Griffith, nicknamed “Golden Griff” and Dr. Dunkenstein,” averaged 16.2 points during his career with Utah.

Dec. 5, 2000: Karl Malone converted a finger roll in the lane for two points, moving past Wilt Chamberlain and into second place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list… Malone scored 31 points in Utah’s 98-84 win over Toronto, giving him 31,443 career points, 24 more than Chamberlain’s 31,419 points.

Dec. 7, 1982: The Utah Jazz, in a 137-121 loss at Portland, set an NBA record for free throw percentage in a game, connecting on all 39 of their attempts from the line.

Dec. 9, 1988: Jerry Sloan was named head coach of the Utah Jazz, replacing Frank Layden, who resigned as head coach. Sloan’s coaching tenure was the longest term of service with one team in NBA history. The Jazz retired No. 1 in honor of Frank Layden on December 9, 1988.

Dec. 10, 1981: The Jazz hired Frank Layden as head coach.

– Jazz team notes