It was clear to Steve Kerr that Steph Curry had not reached his usual standard in the Warriors’ 117-111 defeat to the Atlanta Hawks.
This may not have been clear to many others.
Curry dropped 37 points (on 12-of-23 shooting), and he added eight rebounds, two assists and a few steals. Yes, the two-time NBA MVP committed eight turnovers and made just 3-of-12 3-pointers, but he also tried to throw 12 free throws and drove aggressively all night.
The Warriors were in the minutes of Curry plus-8 and in the 11:16 he did not play, they outscored by 14 points.
“He’s put on a little bit here and there so you can see he’s in a little bit of pain,” Kerr said during a video conference with reporters, referring to Curry’s lingering tailbone injury. ‘He was not at his best tonight, and that’s a sign of a great player when a man has 37 points and you say he was not at his best.
“But that’s the standard Steph set for himself. Of course his turnover was a problem tonight, but I thought Steph competed like crazy and he gives everything he can. He did everything possible to win. “
Curry did not play in the Warriors’ historic blowout loss on Friday and rested his bruised tailbone after falling on it several times against the Miami Heat on Thursday. The 33-year-old told reporters on Sunday that it was “positive” that he had only landed on the tailbone once. Curry said the injury healed ‘slowly’.
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Even though Curry was not his best self on Sunday, the loss to the Falcons is still a strong night of his squandering. The Warriors were, surprisingly, much better off with Curry on the track than not, but the difference was exacerbated during the recent Golden State slide.
Over the last 16 games, the Warriors have been outscored by 176 points. Curry has only played in nine of those games, but Golden State has only been outscored on the floor by six points. The Warriors are 4-12 in their last 16 and 3-6 in the games Curry has played.
“The situation is what it is, and we have a lot to improve on,” Curry said. “And there’s a challenge we all need to address. It’s uncomfortable at the moment. It’s frustrating for everyone, but it will test us to find a way to make the last one happen. [22] games matter and give us something to show for it by the end of the season. ‘
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