MINNEAPOLIS — Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry watched from the bench as his crew took blow after blow from the Minnesota Timberwolves within the fourth quarter of their eventual 114-110 loss on Sunday night time.
He was prepared and anticipating to come back again in, however he remained on the bench for 11 straight minutes.
After being subbed out of the sport with 4 minutes left within the third quarter, Curry did not re-enter till simply over six minutes left within the fourth. He gave them a push, however the injury was already accomplished.
“I need to play as many minutes as I am recent and in a position to, so I am a bit of bit [surprised] realizing that they have been occurring a run,” stated Curry, who ended up enjoying simply half-hour. “Our lead was withering away.”
Curry scored 31 factors on 9-of-21 taking pictures in his half-hour, together with 5 3-pointers. Golden State was plus-6 within the minutes Curry was on the court docket, and minus-10 when he wasn’t.
However Warriors coach Steve Kerr is not keen responsible this most up-to-date loss on Curry’s minutes.
“We will not count on to simply experience Steph sport after sport after sport,” Kerr stated. “We have put the burden of this franchise on his shoulders for 15 years. We will not count on him to play 35 minutes … If you wish to say that him enjoying half-hour as an alternative of 32 is a distinction between a win and a loss, I completely disagree with that. We’re attempting to win the sport. And we’re attempting to maintain him recent, too.”
Towards the Indiana Pacers on Friday — a sport by which the Warriors struggled to search out any urgency or connectivity — Curry performed 35 minutes, together with the whole thing of the fourth quarter.
“I performed the entire fourth quarter towards Indiana and it did not work out, this did not work out [against Minnesota]. We have got to search out someplace within the center,” Curry stated.
He added: “The state of affairs will outline itself in real-time. Each sport issues as we’re inching nearer to the opposite finish of the standings we by no means thought we’d be in. Nobody goes to wave the white flag and say we’re mailing it in. If meaning enjoying extra minutes, I will be prepared to do this.”
Simply two weeks in the past, the Golden State Warriors have been motivated to work their method out of the play-in event to safe themselves a top-6 seed. However now, as Curry alluded to, their hopes for simply the 10-seed are hanging on by a thread. They sit one sport up on the Houston Rockets — one of many hottest groups within the league proper now, using an eight-game win streak.
Golden State is 2 video games again from the Los Angeles Lakers for the 9 spot.
Earlier within the week, Curry stated he did not care as a lot about the place the Warriors completed within the play-in race, simply that they spent the final handful of video games of the common season constructing habits that can enable them to outlive and advance into the playoffs.
“What Steph is saying is that if we do not construct the habits, it would not matter,” Kerr stated. “You make the play-in, you do not, if you do not have the habits you are not going anyplace.”
Heading into Sunday’s matchup, essentially the most obtrusive habits that wanted fixing have been power and focus. These have been most problematic in transition protection, shot choice, physicality and communication towards the Pacers.
All of them fall beneath what the Warriors categorize as “stays” — the place somebody would not crash the boards or dash again on protection. As a substitute, they only stand there.
The Warriors really feel that their habits have been improved rather a lot towards the Timberwolves. Kerr went so far as to say if his crew competes like they did in Minnesota by means of the final 12 video games, they will put themselves ready to do one thing.
There’s one caveat: The advance did not result in a win. Due to that, Draymond Inexperienced stated Sunday’s efficiency should not function a glimmer of hope.
“We preserve shedding,” Inexperienced stated. “That is not encouraging.”