Steph Curry didn’t look fully himself during the Warriors’ 114-105 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Monday night.
Golden State coach Steve Kerr offered a simple explanation for his star’s uncharacteristic struggles against a shorthanded opponent missing three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić.
“He’s tired,” Kerr told reporters postgame. “Steph has been carrying us for a month; he’s been amazing. He’s tired, so we got to get him some rest. You can see it — he doesn’t have his energy right now.”
“Steph has been carrying us for a month. … He’s tired.” Steve Kerr suggests the Warriors might sit Steph Curry for an upcoming game entering their final playoff push
— Warriors on NBC Sports Bay Area (@nbcswarriors.bsky.social) March 17, 2025 at 10:12 PM
Curry’s lackluster performance — he shot just 6 of 21 from the field and 4 of 14 from 3-point range with seven turnovers — was a primary factor in the Warriors’ loss.
But, as Kerr pointed out, Curry has been stellar since the start of February as Golden State has resurrected its season. The newly-minted 37-year-old has averaged 28.6 points over his last 20 games with a growing minutes workload. Over that stretch, the Warriors are 15-5 and have risen from the No. 10 playoff seed to the No. 6 seed in the crowded Western Conference standings.
In the meantime, Kerr said the team could “potentially” choose to rest Curry for Tuesday’s second half of a back-to-back against the Milwaukee Bucks.
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“We got to absolutely consider giving him a night and getting him rejuvenated for the sake of him and the remainder of our games,” Kerr admitted, adding that he’d discuss with Warriors’ director of sports medicine and performance Rick Celebrini.
On the other hand, Curry says he feels “fine,” pointing out his lingering back as more of an issue than fatigue.
“Obviously, I haven’t played great at all, so everybody — including Coach — is going to try to figure out why,” Curry explained in his postgame media availability. “Mostly the turnovers, dumb plays all night, but had a really good run. We expect to have a level of consistency and whatnot, so when it doesn’t happen, it becomes a question.
“I feel like more so my back that I was dealing with the last couple of days. See how that responds tomorrow. But otherwise, I feel pretty solid.”
With 14 games remaining in the regular season, how the Warriors handle Curry’s health and stamina will be a significant storyline over the next month.
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