The Warriors’ season of ups and downs continued with a 114-93 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night, and the Golden State broke its two-game winning streak in the process.
After the Warriors reduced their deficit to a point at 8:14 from the end of the third quarter, the Suns pulled away and did not look back. Phoenix closed the third with a run of 27-14. The Suns lead skyrocketed twice NBA MVP Steph Curry off the court at the start of the fourth period, rising to 23 points when Curry was replaced – forever – after playing less than two minutes in the fourth period.
Curry did not touch the ground in the fourth period until 7:32 to go, as coach Steve Kerr chose – as usual – to play Curry during the third quarter. The shipowner said he does not expect that to be the case as the Warriors advance in their programming.
“This is the balance between the big picture and trying to win every game,” Curry told reporters on his post-game video conference. “… Obviously, I want to play as many minutes as possible and try to steal a game like tonight, but this interruption he only reads night after night. As we progress through the season, he can possibly get a little more aggressive about it . It may be necessary, but now it’s just trying to make everyone comfortable. “
The Warriors’ defeat to the Suns was their 19th game of the regular season, and the 22nd when you include three exhibition games that took place at an abbreviated training camp. Golden State is a game away from reaching the minimum limit that Kerr said he would need to discover his team, and the Warriors continue to work on the twists.
One night after one of his best performances of the season, the acquisition of offseason Kelly Oubre Jr. was perhaps his worst, hitting just 1 of 11 off the field and scoring four points. Beginning center James Wiseman scored five, one night after setting a new career record. Andrew Wiggins, Kent Bazemore and Brand Wanamaker were the only Warriors, outside of Curry, to take more than five shots and hit at least half of them.
Curry remains patient, even though the Warriors’ mistakes on Thursday prevented them once again from sealing their first streak of three consecutive wins of the season. He is Golden State’s oldest player at 32 and knows that his younger teammates will make mistakes.
He simply does not want these mistakes to be repeated.
“That’s where it gets frustrating,” said Curry. “When you invoke certain things and do not make the necessary adjustments. Tonight was a good learning lesson for us who finished the third quarter and the group that started the fourth: Find the guy who is hot, because you can be so kind as to force question in that regard if you have a good combination. Slow things down, stay in the game. “
RELATED: Draymond Tells Referees To Stop Being So Emotional After Techniques
Curry previously noted in his press conferences that the Warriors’ losses were predominantly uneven. Golden State was defeated by double digits seven times and beaten by more than 20 points in four of the nine defeats.
The nature of these losses can be deceiving, Curry said, because he believes that many got rid of them in a matter of minutes, as was the case on Thursday. Curry wants the Warriors to be more consistent, but said it starts with their mentality.
“We just have to come up with the right intentions so that, at some point, everything fits,” said Curry. “And then [the rotation] understands exactly what we’re trying to do. It will never be just a one-man show. You cannot win like this in this championship. “
Entering the fourth quarter of Thursday earlier could have brought the Warriors closer to victory, but it may not have brought them closer than Curry believes they need to be consistently successful.