The Golden State Warriors lost a close game 114-110 to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night. After the game, questions were raised about why star player Stephen Curry played only 30 minutes.
Is Steve Kerr’s Strategy Costing the Warriors?
Curry was replaced with 4 minutes left in the third quarter and did not return until 6 minutes later in the fourth quarter. During that time the Timberwolves made a significant comeback while Curry watched from the bench.
Curry scored 31 points in his restricted minutesĀ and the Warriors were +6 with him on the court and -10 without him. Curry claimed after the game that he was “a little bit surprised” not to play more down the stretch as the team’s lead eroded.
Final š
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) March 25, 2024
Stephen – 31p/4r/3a
Klay – 16p/3r/2a
Andrew – 15p/4r/2s
Jonathan – 14p/3r/2a/1s/1b
Draymond – 12p/8r/3a/1s
Brandin – 7p/2r
Chris – 7p/4r/6a
Trayce – 6p/5r/3s/2b
Gary – 2p/8r/7a/1s pic.twitter.com/VZvR2RJkqV
However, Golden State’s coach Steve Kerr defended the decision to limit Curry’s minutes saying
We can’t expect to just ride Steph game after game after game. We’ve put the burden of this franchise on his shoulders for 15 years. If you want to say that him playing 30 minutes instead of 32 is a difference between a win and a loss, I totally disagree with that.
Steve Kerr ( Warriors Coach)
Warriors’ Playoff Hopes Dwindling
Kerr explained that they are trying to keep Curry fresh while still competing to make the playoffs through the play-in tournament. The Warriors were motivated to avoid the play-in entirely by securing a top 6 seed just two weeks ago. But now they are just fighting to hang on to the 10th seed sitting only 1 game ahead of the surging Houston Rockets.
The coach said if the Warriors compete with the same effort they showed in Minnesota over the final 12 games, they can put themselves in position to make a playoff run. However, veteran Draymond Green cautioned “We keep losing. That’s not encouraging.”
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With the season winding down Kerr seems committed to carefully managing Curry’s minutes rather than riding him into the ground. Curry understands and saying “The situation will define itself in real timeā¦If that means playing more minutes, I’ll be ready to do that.”
For the Warriors to turn things around they may need Curry to log heavier minutes in critical games down the stretch. But Kerr seems determined not to overburden the 35-year-old star as he has for much of his 15-year career carrying the franchise.