The Golden State Warriors could be without franchise star Stephen Curry when they try to rebound from back-to-back deflating losses on November 27 against Western Conference leader Oklahoma City Thunder.
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Curry was listed as questionable with bilateral patellofemoral on both knees in the latest Warriors’ injury report. Jonathan Kuminga, who missed the last two games, is also questionable with an illness.
Curry missed three games earlier in the season with a left ankle injury. The Warriors managed to win all those games. But if he misses time again, the timing of Curry’s new injury couldn’t come at the worst possible time.
The Warriors have lost their last two games in troubling fashion.
They blew a 17-point lead in the third quarter and lost by 10 on the road to San Antonio Spurs on November 23. Two nights later, at home, they squandered an 18-point lead in the third quarter and lost by eight to the visiting Brooklyn Nets.
Curry tried to remain positive despite their consecutive second-half meltdowns.
“I think, on the whole, you’ve got to look at the bright spots to the start of our season,” Curry told reporters during his postgame press conference. “These last two games have kind of left a sour taste for sure. We’ve given ourselves a little bit of a cushion with a new kind of mindset with who we’re trying to create [offensively] no matter who’s on the floor.”
Curry paced the Warriors in their home loss to the Nets with 28 points. But the Warriors were outscored by four during his 30-minute stint on the floor.
Warriors Bench Outplayed in Last 2 Losses
The Warriors started hot this season, riding on their depth.
Their bench remains the top-scoring second unit in the NBA this season. However, over their last two games, the Warriors bench were -40 against the Spurs and -22 against the Nets.
Kuminga’s absence and also De’Anthony Melton‘s season-ending left ACL injury have disrupted the Warriors’ rotation.
Curry urged the Warriors to stay committed to the adjustments.
“We’re still playing 12 guys,” Curry told reporters. “You have to be able to adjust no matter what the combinations are… I think we can be more intentional about what type of shots we can create with certain lineups, and that’s part of the growth of the team. We all have to be committed to making those adjustments.”
Steve Kerr Owns Blame
Warriors coach Steve Kerr shouldered the brunt of blame over their last two losses.
“We need to execute better,” Kerr told reporters during his postgame press conference. “That’s on me as a coach.”
The Warriors gave up 41 points in the fourth quarter, and they allowed the Nets to hit 20 3-pointers in the game.
Kerr welcomed the opportunity to conduct practice after playing back-to-back road games before falling to the Nets.
“You don’t want to overreact, right?” Kerr said. “Two games ago, everyone was feeling great. We were 12-3. We’ve had big leads in late third in both games. We have to address what’s happened in these last two games. I don’t think it’s a fatigue thing. I think it’s an execution thing.”
