The Golden State Warriors are getting their first significant test of the season.

One day after 10-time All-NBA star Stephen Curry was forced to leave Sunday night’s loss against the Clippers with a foot injury, an MRI confirmed he has a left peroneal strain, the team said Monday in a statement. The Warriors added there was no structural damage, and Curry would be reevaluated Friday.

Though no more details were provided, the foot injury can take up to several weeks to heal, depending on severity, perthe Cleveland Clinic.

The injury took place with 7:55 left to play in the game and happened when Curry was trying to set a screen. He appeared to step awkwardly and tweak his left foot, immediately limping off the court. Curry, who has a history of sprained ankles, was immediately helped into the locker room and did not return.

Golden State lost the game 112-104 and Curry recorded 18 points on 6-for-11 shooting, six assists and four rebounds before his removal.

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“He’s doing OK,” Kerr said Sunday after the game. “I think he used the word ‘mild’ or ‘moderate.’ He has obviously sprained that ankle many times before, so he doesn’t think it’s too bad, but, obviously, it’s a concern.”

Curry had actually first tweaked the ankle late in the third quarter, which prompted his removal from the game. After he and the Golden State training staff treated the ankle, using resistance bands to stretch the foot, Curry eventually returned to the game just before suffering the final tweak.

Curry, 36, is averaging 18.3 points, 6.7 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game. The Warriors (2-1) return to the court Tuesday night when they host the New Orleans Pelicans.

‘I appreciate who he is, everything that he’s done,’ Elko, Texas A&M’s coach, said of Fisher on Monday.

Elko, during his regularly scheduled news conference, rebuffed the idea that a comment he made Saturday night after the Aggies’ victory over LSU was directed at Fisher – or anyone else.

Texas A&M (7-1) sits atop the SEC standings, and a reporter asked Elko after beating LSU how he’s generated this warp-speed turnaround as a first-year coach. Elko previously experienced rapid success as Duke’s coach.

While Elko answered that question, he dropped an eyebrow-raising quote.

‘We back up our actions,’ Elko said Saturday night. ‘We’re very honest. We’re very open. And this is a real program. It’s not fake. It’s not a politician running this program, talking fast and BS’ing everybody. This is a real program.’

Several reporters in the room Saturday night and some fans who later heard Elko’s comment interpreted his quote as a shot at the fast-talking Fisher, whom the Aggies fired last year amid his sixth season.

Elko emphasized on Monday that his quote was generic and not directed as a barb at anyone, including Fisher.

‘I made a statement that seemed like a very benign statement, that somehow managed to be taken as a shot directly at people,’ Elko said. ‘You guys gave me multiple opportunities in nine months to take shots at people, and I’ve never done it.

‘For anybody in the media to think that that was what I was doing post-LSU is asinine.’

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Elko worked under Fisher for four seasons as his defensive coordinator at Texas A&M, and the Aggies hired Elko back from Duke in November to replace his former boss.

Fisher earned a well-known reputation for being one of the fastest-talking coaches in America.

‘You gotta get your thoughts out,” Fisher said in 2022, when asked about his fast-talking trademark. “… I give you lots of information in a short amount of time. I’m a reporter’s dream.’

While many initially speculated Elko dropped a veiled zinger aimed at Fisher, others later speculated that he actually was throwing shade at LSU coach Brian Kelly.

Kelly earned a degree in political science. His father worked in politics as an alderman in Massachusetts, and Kelly briefly worked in politics after graduating from college. He staffed for Massachusetts state senator Gerry D’Amico. Kelly told USA TODAY Sports in 2022 that the quid-pro-quo nature of politics didn’t suit him.

Elko, on Monday, also shot down the notion that his comment was directed at Kelly, for whom Elko worked as Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator in 2017.

‘For (Saturday’s comments) to be about any other head coach who gave me an opportunity and hired me, that’s not who I am,’ Elko said. ‘I’ve never been that person, and it’s ridiculous, but it is what it is.

‘So, I wanted to make sure that everybody knows I wasn’t talking about anybody directly.’

Even if many people interpreted it that way.

Here’s what’s not open to interpretation: Texas A&M’s first-place standing in the SEC in Elko’s first season.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer. Subscribe to read all of his columns.

Richard Steele, the Hall of Fame boxing referee, issued cautionary words about the upcoming fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul.

“With Mike Tyson, it’s so dangerous even for the referee because you got to be close, but you got to be far away to be able to allow them to do their thing,’’ Steele, who refereed six of Tyson’s fights, told USA TODAY Sports. “You had to be always aware of what’s going on because one of Mike Tyson’s punches could really hurt the other guy. And maybe he don’t need to take the other punch.”

Who will inherit that responsibility is not yet publicly known.

Tela Mange, a spokeswoman for the state department that regulates combat sports in Texas, said last week she had no news to report about the referees or the judges for the Tyson-Paul fight, scheduled for Nov. 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

One thing is for sure, it won’t be Steele, who is now 80.

‘No, man. I had enough,’ he said.

But he did offer his thoughts on several topics, including the two-minute rounds he thinks will create a disadvantage for Paul in a fight scheduled for eight rounds.

“I don’t see the guy going that distance with Tyson,’ said Steele, who boxed professionally, going 12-4 from 1966-1970 before becoming a referee in 1972. “Because Tyson, he’s so strong and he’s a ex-champion. He knows what he’s doing and for two minutes … he can go all out.’

Also, extra padding in the 14-ounce gloves that will be used rather than the standard 10-ounce gloves will provide no benefit to Paul, according to Steele.

‘That’s still a small glove thinking about the power of Mike Tyson,’ he said.

Steele refereed a notable fight involving Tyson on Oct. 23, 1999. Just after the bell sounded at the end of the first round, Tyson hit and knocked down his opponent, Orlin Norris.

Steele deducted two points from Tyson on the judges’ scorecards, and Norris said he injured his knee during the knockdown and could not continue. The fight was stopped and ruled a no contest.

‘He didn’t want no more,’ Steele said of Norris. ‘He just took the knee as a way to get out of the fight.

‘It was a definite (foul), but I think the punch was on the way and he couldn’t stop it.’

Steele said he recently watched footage of the 58-year-old Tyson working a heavy bag in preparation to face the 27-year-old Paul.

‘He’s still dangerous,’ Steele said. ‘He has so much power… I just hope he don’t end up getting hurt or hurt the other guy.’

Follow Josh Peter on social media @joshlpeter11

The Cowboys’ Week 9 opponents may be the media.

The Dallas Cowboys were handed a 30-24 loss to their longtime NFC rival 49ers on ‘Sunday Night Football.’ While there was a bit of controversy on the field, what happened after the game may show some more signs of a potential unraveling in ‘Big D.’

Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs was caught on camera having a testy exchange with reporter Mike Leslie of WFAA (ABC 8) in Dallas. Following the game, Diggs exited the Cowboys locker room still in full uniform and confronted Leslie for a post the reporter sent on X.

‘What is Trevon Diggs doing on this play?’ Leslie posted in response to a play in which Diggs seemed to lag behind on a tackle that nearly resulted in a 49ers touchdown.

Diggs took issue with the post, emerging from the locker room after the game to confront Leslie.

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‘Out of that whole play that’s what you took from that? You don’t know football, you can’t do nothing that I do. You can’t go out there and do nothing,’ Diggs told the reporter. ‘Stay in your lane, buddy. Stop playing with me, bro.’

The Cowboys cornerback also called and hurled an expletive at the reporter before returning to the locker room, despite the reporter’s urgings to answer the question in his post.

Leslie went to X to follow up, solidifying that Diggs, in fact, didn’t answer Leslie’s question.

The loss sent the Cowboys to a disappointing 3-4 on the season, one which began with NFC championship game aspirations.

The Miami Heat held a ceremony outside their arena Sunday to inaugurate their first player immortalized in a statue.

Fans knew it would be a moment to honor Dwyane Wade, the most accomplished player in franchise history. By the time the statue had been unveiled, however, many were left perplexed by what they were looking at.

The statue went viral Sunday over its portrayal of Wade’s face, seemingly unrecognizable from his likeness.

Wade, for his part, appeared to enjoy the ceremony and basked in the moment.

‘This is crazy,’ Wade said Sunday. ‘I wanted to feel this. Life goes by so fast and it’s very rare that we get to feel things, because we’re always off to the next thing.

All things Heat: Latest Miami Heat news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

‘I wanted to feel this, man. I wanted to look at it.’

Wade, one of the six former Heat players to have his numbered retired by the team, was heavily involved in the creation of the statue, which was sculpted by Omri Amrany and Oscar León of Rotblatt Amrany Studios. Wade said he traveled to Chicago four times to meet with the sculptors and to provide feedback on its progress.

The other Heat players with their numbers retired are Udonis Haslem, Chris Bosh, Tim Hardaway, Shaquille O’Neal and Alonzo Mourning.

In June 2021, the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners designated a small stretch of NE 7th Street across from Biscayne Boulevard in Miami, directly in front of the Kaseya Center, as Dwyane Wade Boulevard.

The Heat will honor Wade in an in-game ceremony Monday night, when the team hosts the Detropt Pistons, which marks the 21st anniversary of Wade’s debut during his rookie season.

Here are some of the best reactions to the Dwyane Wade statue

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Lionel Messi’s MLS Cup Playoffs debut was the most widely viewed sporting event ever presented by Apple, the company said Monday without releasing viewership figures.

The match was available to live stream for free worldwide via MLS Season Pass on Apple TV behind a massive campaign centered around Messi’s first MLS postseason match, where he failed to score but delivered an assist in Inter Miami’s 2-1 win Friday against Atlanta United.

It was also streamed live on Apple.com and shown in Apple Stores in major U.S. cities, such as New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco, along with stores in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Korea, Japan and Australia.

As many as 150,000 viewers at a time also visited the MLS and Inter Miami CF TikTok accounts to watch Messi cam, an exclusive player spotlight of Messi during the game. It marked the first time TikTok streamed a live soccer match focused on one player.

“We’re getting behind Leo Messi’s historic MLS Cup Playoffs debut in a big way. It’s not just must-see television, but it’s a barometer for the entire postseason on MLS Season Pass,” Apple’s Global Head of Sports Marketing Emeka Ofodile said during a media briefing last week. “We’ll make this match the most widely distributed match in MLS Season Pass history, bringing this match to as many fans as possible around the globe.”

Apple signed a 10-year, $2.5 billion deal in 2022 to begin broadcasting MLS games on Apple TV. Messi’s deal to join Inter Miami and MLS included compensation from Apple TV for international subscriptions sold for MLS Season Pass.

Messi is the highest paid player in MLS, earning $20.4 million in guaranteed compensation by Inter Miami in 2024. It’s a portion of a reported $150 million deal he agreed to in 2023, which included an ownership stake in Inter Miami when he retires. His contract lasts through 2025 with an option for 2026.

“I won’t give you the exact number, but pre-Messi it was very U.S. dominant. Post-Messi, it changed materially,” Apple Senior Vice President Eddy Cue said of Messi’s impact on Apple subscriptions and viewership before the season. “He had a significant number of subscribers from South American and Europe. So, it was a big change.”

Messi, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and Argentine World Cup champions, is one of five finalists for MLS MVP. He returns to action on Saturday as Inter Miami faces Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta for the second match of their best-of-three, first-round series.