The Golden State Warriors just suffered a disappointing 110-114 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. A matchup that seemed like it was in the bag for Dub Nation for the majority of the game ended up slipping out of their hands in the final few minutes of the game. An error on the sidelines by Steve Kerr or just a move by an overzealous coach trusting his second unit over his leading scorer? Here is what Stephen Curry had to say.
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The Warriors-Timberwolves matchup ended up raising a few eyebrows in the final quarter of the game, specifically at Golden State’s end. The whole ordeal even had Stephen Curry a bit baffled. After regulation, the Warriors star guard expressed his surprise over being subbed in too late into the game. He said the following to NBCS.
“I’ll admit, obviously it comparing to the last game and the rotation and I gotta wanna play for as many minutes as I’m fresh and able to so little bit, knowing that they were just going on a run. The lead was kind of withering away. So, played the whole fourth quarter against Indiana, didn’t work out. This didn’t work out so, yeah, we gotta find something in the middle.”
To put things in context, the Golden State Warriors led the Minnesota Timberwolves for most of the three quarters. Dub Nation scored 27 points each in the first three quarters and started the three with a three-point lead. The Warriors subbed out Stephen Curry around the four-minute mark in the third quarter back when the team still held a six-point lead over the Timberwolves.
Both teams ended the third with the Warriors holding a three-point lead over Minnesota. The fourth quarter was when the Timberwolves went on a 19-8 run giving Golden State their biggest deficit of the game. However, it wasn’t until a few seconds past the seven-minute mark in the fourth that fans finally got to see Curry back on the floor.
Steve Kerr had Stephen Curry on the bench for 11 straight minutes during the most crucial moments of the game. The Warriors struggled offensively and the Timberwolves went on their late-game run, making a storied comeback to win the game. It certainly is a bit mystifying, to say the least. However, seeing that countless fans were left with questions on his rotations, Kerr decided to react to his star player’s confusion publicly after the game.
Steve Kerr’s response to having Stephen Curry on the bench
The Golden State Warriors just lost their last two games, dropping the ball on their previous outing against the Indiana Pacers as well. The team has now lost seven of their 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 number of games with a 12-point lead so far this season, per StatMuse. The Spurs are still in rebuilding mode and might probably be tanking this season as well for another lottery pick in next year’s NBA draft.
But what is Golden State’s excuse as a team still hoping to make it to the playoffs for probably one last run at a championship with this aging core? Here is Warriors head coach Steve Kerr’s response to having Curry on the bench for so long, as per Anthony Slater.
“If you want to say (Steph Curry) playing 30 or 32 minutes was the difference in a win or a loss, I totally disagree.”
With this loss, the Golden State Warriors now have a 36-34 season record in the Western Conference, placing them at the 10th spot. This record jeopardizes Dub Nation’s chances in the play-in tournament with the Houston Rockets just one game behind. Do you think Stephen Curry and the Warriors will make it to the postseason this year? Or is this finally the end of the Warriors dynasty?
