Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr does not have any regrets over his decision to have Stephen Curry sit on the bench on Sunday as the Minnesota Timberwolves mounted a comeback in the fourth quarter. Curry eventually returned to the game at around the mid-way point of the final period, but ultimately, it proved to be a bit too late.
The Wolves would go on to escape with a come-from-behind win at the Chase Center, 114-110.
Golden State Warriors Star Stephen Curry Speaks Out on Benching
The Warriors were able to build a five-point lead against the No. 3 seed Wolves by the time Kerr pulled Curry out for his mandatory rest in the latter part of the third quarter. The Dubs struggled without their best player on the floor, which resulted in Minnesota mounting an eight-point lead by the time Steph returned at around the seven-minute mark in the final frame.
After the game, a disappointed Curry admitted that he did not expect to sit out for that long as the Wolves chopped down on Golden State’s lead:
“I want to play as many minutes as I’m fresh and able to, so I’m a little bit [surprised] knowing that they were going on a run,” said Curry, via Kendra Andrews of ESPN. “Our lead was withering away.”
Steph isn’t pointing any fingers, though. At the end of the day, he knows that it has to be a collective team effort from them if they want to get out of their current slump:
“I played the whole fourth quarter against Indiana and it didn’t work out, this didn’t work out [against Minnesota]. We’ve got to find somewhere in the middle,” Curry said.
Steve Kerr’s Tough Balancing Act
For his part, coach Kerr stood by his decision after the loss. Curry ended up playing 30 minutes in this one, and Kerr is adamant that ultimately, this did not have a significant impact on the outcome of the game:
“We can’t expect to just ride Steph game after game after game,” Kerr said. “We’ve put the burden of this franchise on his shoulders for 15 years. We can’t expect him to play 35 minutes … 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. We’re trying to win the game. And we’re trying to keep him fresh, too.”
The simple counterargument to Kerr’s claim, however, is that the Wolves mounted a 13-point swing with Curry on the bench during what turned out to be a crucial stretch.
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