The Golden State Warriors just suffered a disappointing 110-114 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. A matchup that seemed to be in Dub Nation’s bag for most of the game ended up slipping out of their hands in the final minutes of the game. A mistake on Steve Kerr’s bench or simply a move by an overzealous coach who trusts his second unit over his top scorer? This is what Stephen Curry said.
The Warriors-Timberwolves matchup ended up raising some eyebrows in the fourth quarter of the game, specifically in the Golden State end. The whole ordeal even left Stephen Curry a little bewildered.
After regulation time, the Warriors’ star guard expressed his surprise at being substituted too late in the game.
He said the following to NBCS.
“I admit, obviously it’s compared to the last game and the rotation, and I have to want to play as many minutes as I’m fresh and capable of, knowing that they were just running. The lead was fading. So playing the entire fourth quarter against Indiana didn’t work.
“This didn’t work out, so yeah, we have to find something in the middle.”
To put things in context, the Golden State Warriors led the Minnesota Timberwolves for most of three quarters. Dub Nation scored 27 points apiece in the first three quarters and started all three with a three-point lead. The Warriors replaced Stephen Curry about four minutes into the third quarter when the team still had a six-point lead over the Timberwolves.
Both teams finished the third with the Warriors holding a three-point lead over Minnesota. The fourth quarter was when the Timberwolves had a 19-8 streak giving Golden State its largest deficit of the game. However, it wasn’t until a few seconds into the quarter that fans finally got to see Curry back on the court.
Steve Kerr had Stephen Curry on the bench for 11 straight minutes during the most crucial moments of the game. The Warriors struggled on offense and the Timberwolves continued their run late in the game, pulling off a historic comeback to win the game. It’s certainly a little disconcerting, to say the least. However, seeing countless fans left with questions about his rotation, Kerr decided to publicly react to his star player’s confusion after the game.
Steve Kerr’s response to having Stephen Curry on the bench
The Golden State Warriors just lost their last two games and also dropped the ball in their previous outing against the Indiana Pacers. The team has lost seven of its last 12 games played in March.
To add insult to injury, the Warriors are now tied with the San Antonio Spurs for losing the most games by 12 points so far this season, according to StatMuse. The Spurs are still in rebuilding mode and could likely be looking for another lottery pick in next year’s NBA draft this season as well.
But what’s Golden State’s excuse as a team still hoping to make the playoffs for probably one last run at a championship with this aging core? Here’s Warriors head coach Steve Kerr’s response to having Curry on the bench for so long, according to Anthony Slater.
“If you want to say that (Steph Curry) playing 30 or 32 minutes was the difference between winning or losing, I totally disagree.”
With this loss, the Golden State Warriors now have a season record of 36-34 in the Western Conference, putting them in tenth place. This record jeopardizes Dub Nation’s chances in the play-in tournament with the Houston Rockets just one game away. Do you think Stephen Curry and the Warriors will make the postseason this year? Or will this finally be the end of the Warrior dynasty?
