Warriors’ Moody sustains torn patellar tendon in knee
Tests have confirmed that Moses Moody, a wing for the Golden State Warriors, has sustained a torn left patellar tendon, as reported by league sources to ESPN’s Shams Charania on Tuesday, which concludes his season.
Surgery is scheduled for Thursday, according to league sources. Moody is expected to undergo an extensive rehabilitation process that may affect his availability for the upcoming season.
The noncontact injury occurred late in the Warriors’ 137-131 overtime victory against Dallas on Monday night when Moody’s left knee gave way while he was attempting a transition dunk.
Moody had previously missed 10 games due to a right wrist sprain. Upon his return, he was delivering one of his standout performances of the season, scoring 23 points when he intercepted the dribble of Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg and set up for a wide-open transition dunk, sealing the win with one minute remaining.
However, he was unable to finish the dunk. Moody tore his left patellar tendon upon landing and immediately clutched at his knee, collapsing to the floor beneath the basket near the Warriors’ bench as the Mavericks seized the loose ball.
Play continued for several moments while Moody remained on the ground. Following the next whistle, teammates, staff, and trainers surrounded him to assess his condition. Arena personnel brought out a stretcher, and the game was paused for several minutes. Veteran teammate Draymond Green embraced Moody as he was taken down the tunnel.
“It’s brutal, you know we’ve been waiting [for him] to get back healthy,” Green stated on NBA on ESPN Radio after the game. “Moses is a guy who does everything right.”
Rick Celebrini, the Warriors’ head medical decision-maker, assisted in wheeling Moody out of the arena. He traveled back to the Bay Area with the team and received confirmation of the diagnosis following an MRI in San Francisco on Tuesday afternoon.
“Mo is such a great human being,” Kerr remarked. “Great teammate. Wonderful guy to coach. Just puts in the work every day and was brilliant [Monday night], by the way.”
This incident adds to a series of unfortunate injury setbacks for the Warriors. Veteran wing Jimmy Butler tore his ACL in early January. Star guard Stephen Curry is set to miss his 23rd consecutive game on Tuesday night due to a lingering right knee issue. Starting center Al Horford is currently sidelined with a calf strain.
Amid these challenges, the Warriors have lost 16 of their last 23 games, bringing their record to 34-38, placing them in the 10th seed in the Western Conference.
However, the broader concern is how this will affect the Warriors’ prospects for next season as they aim to regain competitiveness before Curry’s career concludes.
Butler’s ACL rehabilitation and Moody’s anticipated recovery timeline are likely to keep them out for a significant portion of the next regular season, meaning the team will be without their second-best player and a starting wing.
Moody was averaging a career-high 11.9 points this season, his fifth in the NBA. He is in the first year of a three-year, $39 million extension.
