Steph Curry says the Golden State Warriors are “inching closer” to an NBA position “we never thought we would be in” after a second consecutive loss and third in four games in their 114-110 loss at Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.
Point guard Curry spent a surprising 11 minutes on the bench across the third and fourth quarters as the Timberwolves scored 12 points more than his team during the second half of the match.
Curry said he was “a little bit” surprised by his lack of action. “I want to play as many minutes as I’m fresh and able to,” added the 36-year-old, who scored 31 points in 30 minutes on court.
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“I played the whole fourth quarter against Indiana [123-111 loss on Saturday] and it didn’t work out. This didn’t work out. We’ve got to find somewhere in the middle.
“The situation will define itself in real-time. Every game matters as we’re inching closer to the other end of the standings we never thought we would be in. No-one is going to wave the white flag and say we are mailing it in. If that means playing more minutes, I’ll be ready to do that.”
Warriors ‘took it’ to Timberwolves
The Warriors are 10th in the Eastern Conference – the minimum position they need to finish in, which would afford Steve Kerr’s players a place in the Play-In Tournament for two play-off berths. A top-six place would guarantee a play-off spot.
“We can’t expect to just ride Steph game after game after game,” said Kerr. “These last few weeks have been really tough. We’ve put the burden of this franchise on his shoulders for 15 years. We can’t expect him to play 35 minutes.
“We’re trying to get him as much rest as we can. He played 35 minutes two days ago. As long as we were hanging in there, we wanted to… not over-play him.
Steph reloads for the tie… got it!
Warriors, Timberwolves battling down the stretch on the NBA App.
https://t.co/1zNvmpFoJH pic.twitter.com/Y0c5ML74ok
— NBA (@NBA) March 25, 2024
“We’ve got five games in seven days on this road trip. 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. You make the play-in or you don’t – if you don’t have the habits you’re not going anywhere.”
Kerr praised the third-praised Wolves and echoed Curry’s thoughts about his players’ exertions. “They played great,” he said of the victors. “They scored 36 points in the fourth quarter. You give them credit.
“I loved the way our guys competed. For 48 minutes, they played hard and together and gave us a chance to win. We just couldn’t pull it off. There was a great effort and great urgency. We took it to them straight away. I loved the effort.”
