SAN ANTONIO — Of course Steph Curry changed basketball. In fact, De'Aaron Fox has a strong opinion on the matter: two eras of the sport exist — pre-Curry and post-Curry.

"Anybody who says there's not is lying through their teeth," Fox said at shootaround Friday.

The San Antonio Spurs, now on a 10-game win streak dating back to their first victory of the season over the Dallas Mavericks, were preparing to face a Golden State Warriors team led by the greatest shooter of all-time in NBA Cup action at Frost Bank Center.

Instead, Curry caught a lucky flight back to San Francisco on Friday, before the FAA issued a nationwide grounding, to begin rehabbing an abdominal tear he suffered in the first quarter against the Houston Rockets two days ago. He'll work with Rick Celebrini, the team's director of sports medicine and performance.

"He just said he tweaked something in his abdominal area," Kerr explained after Golden State's 115-108 loss to Houston on Wednesday, "and said he's never done it before."

At the time, Kerr noted the Warriors' concern was "high," but didn't have any additional information until the next morning, when Curry was ruled OUT for at least two weeks.

Mitch Johnson, who spoke about facing Curry after the Spurs' 124-119 win over the Chicago Bulls, foreshadowed the outcome. He hadn't even learned of the star's injury.

"Best players playing, best coaches coaching, I wouldn't want it any other way," Johnson said, asked about his excitement for the matchup. "I wish everybody could do the video game thing where you turn off injuries and turn off stamina. Play your guys 48 minutes. 2K mode."

This season, Curry is averaging 27.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists on 50 percent shooting from the field and 46 percent shooting from 3. Prior to missing a majority of the second half in Houston, he'd helped the Warriors to an 8-3 start to the season.

His absence, however, won’t change the Spurs’ approach to Golden State. If anything, Johnson knows better than to underestimate the Warriors, even without Curry.

“He played two pretty good games in San Antonio last year," Johnson said, referring to Curry's 95 combined points across two consecutive games against the Spurs last November. "I vividly remember it ... hopefully he misses a few (this time).”

Johnson won't have to coach against Curry this time around, though he wishes it were under better circumstances. Golden State, meanwhile, will have to find a way to keep pace with the NBA’s hottest team without its leading scorer. They're aware of the difficulty.

“We have to really execute well,” Kerr said. “We can’t rely, obviously, on Steph’s shot-making tonight, so we’ve got to rely on our execution. We’ve got to come out really sharp."

Part of that responsibility will fall on standout rookie Yaxel Lendeborg, who has emerged as another strong offensive option for the Warriors. His ability to create advantages could prove especially valuable with Curry sidelined, particularly against Victor Wembanyama.

Asked about that matchup, Lendeborg got honest, as he usually does.

“He averages like, five blocks?” the rookie said. “He’s going to be in help a lot ... I’m going to try to shoot as many 3s as I can tonight. Try to bait him into helping out."

Whether that approach proves effective remains to be seen. But for Golden State, finding offense without Curry will require contributions from players who have grown used to benefiting from the attention he commands. Draymond Green is confident in that regard.

“The spirit of this team is better,” Green said of the Warriors navigating life without Curry. “We’re more certain of who we are, what makes us a good team. I think that puts us in a better position to be successful without him as opposed to where we were last year.”

Fox, who will suit up against the Warriors despite dealing with left hip soreness, knows what they're capable of, even without Curry leading the offense. He's also rooting for a quick recovery for the 38-year-old superstar. He's the one who changed basketball, after all.

"The last thing that goes away is you being able to shoot the ball,” Fox said. “He still shoots the ball like Steph Curry. I don’t think anything that he does out there surprises anybody.”