The Golden State Warriors lost another tough one on Sunday night. This latest defeat came at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves, 114-110, which now sees the Dubs falling to two games behind the Los Angeles Lakers for the ninth spot in the Western Conference.
To make matters worse for Golden State, the Houston Rockets are now just a game behind them for the 10th and final Play-In spot in the West.
Golden State Warriors Coach Steve Kerr Speaks Out on Stephen Curry’s Minutes Vs. Timberwolves
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr took Curry out with a little over four minutes remaining in the third quarter. At that point, the Dubs were up 70-65. The GOAT shooter, however, did not return until there were less than seven minutes left in the final frame. The Wolves had gone on a furious run with Curry on the bench, resulting in a 97-89 lead for the visiting team.
Golden State clawed their way back with their talisman back on the floor, but ultimately, Minnesota was able to hold on to escape with a hard-fought four-point victory.
After the game, Kerr was asked by the media about his decision to keep his best player on the bench as the Wolves made their run in the fourth quarter. The four-time NBA champion shot-caller revealed that it was all part of the plan as he continues to look out for Curry’s health in the long run:
“We can’t expect to just ride Steph. We’ve put the burden of this franchise on his shoulders for 15 years,” Kerr said, via Kendra Andrews of ESPN. “… If you want to say that him playing 30 minutes instead of 32 is a difference in a win and a loss, I totally disagree with that.”
At this point, there’s no way to tell if the Warriors could have won this game if Curry had been brought in earlier in the fourth period. What you can say for sure, however, is that his mere presence would have impacted the game significantly.
Either way, that’s all water under the bridge now.
For More NBA Content:
Follow me on Twitter at @PaoloSongcoNBA, and follow us @HardwoodHeroics. You can also reach out to Paolo Songco via email at [email protected]. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest NBA news, click here!