The Golden State Warriors were in a great position heading into the fourth quarter of Sunday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, but ended up losing 114-110 in brutal fashion, and Stephen Curry got real about his minutes in the game as many believe he was left on the bench too long by Warriors head coach Steve Kerr as the Timberwolves were making a run.
“The situation will define itself pretty clearly,” Stephen Curry said, via Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “Every game matters. We're inching closer to the other end of the standings that we never thought we'd be in. Nobody's gonna wave the white flag and say we're mailing it in. If that means playing more minutes, I'll be ready to do that.”
Curry played 30 minutes for the Warriors against the Timberwolves, and scored 31 points in the game. Ultimately, it was not enough to get the win.
Steve Kerr's response to the Stephen Curry minutes discussion
Steve Kerr discussed his thought process when it came to Curry's deployment in the Warriors' loss, and he was firm in his stance.
“We can't expect to just ride Steph game after game after game,” Kerr said, via Slater. “These last few weeks have been really tough on him. We've put the burden of this franchise on his shoulders for what, 15 years? Can't expect him to play 35 minutes. We got five games in seven days on this road trip, so if you want to say that him playing 30 instead of 32 minutes was the difference in a win or a loss, I totally disagree with that. We're trying to win the game. We're trying to keep him fresh too.”
Curry was later asked about Kerr's comments regarding his minutes.
“Obviously, comparing it to last game and for the normal rotation, I want to play as many minutes as I'm fresh and able to, so a little bit, knowing that they were just going on a run,” Stephen Curry said, when asked if he was surprised by how long he was sitting, via Slater. “The lead was kind of whittling away. So, no. Played the whole fourth quarter against Indiana. Didn't work out. This didn't work out. So we gotta find somewhere in the middle.”
The Warriors will have back-to-back games on Tuesday and Wednesday on the road against the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic, before playing the Charlotte Hornets on Friday and the San Antonio Spurs next Sunday.
Kerr was incorrect that there would be five games in seven days for the Warriors, as they will return home to play the Dallas Mavericks on April 2, but it is still a tough road trip from a schedule standpoint.
Golden State is looking to hold off the Houston Rockets and secure a spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament.