SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Curry needs a break, and Warriors coach Steve Kerr is going to make it a priority to find some rest for his superstar.
Two games after becoming the first player in NBA history to reach 4,000 3-pointers and three days after his 37th birthday, Curry struggled to find his shooting groove in a 114-105 loss to the undermanned Denver Nuggets on Monday night.
“He’s tired. Steph’s been carrying us for a month, he’s been amazing,” Kerr said. “He’s tired, so we’ve got to get him some rest. You can see it, he just doesn’t have his energy right now.”
Curry shot 6 for 21 overall and 4 of 14 on 3-pointers in just less than 36 minutes on the way to 20 points and also had seven assists and four rebounds, but committed seven of the Warriors' 20 turnovers that led to 24 points for Denver.
“I feel fine, obviously I didn’t play great at all so everybody including coach is going to try to figure out why,” Curry said, sounding hoarse and acknowledging “I'm a little stuffy.”
“Mostly the turnovers, dumb plays all night but I had a really good run. You expect to have a level of consistency and whatnot so when it doesn't happen it becomes a question.”
Curry called five of his turnovers “completely unforced” and said many were “avoidable” mistakes.
This season Curry has dealt with regular knee issues and currently has an aggravated back that has bothered him the past few games.
“We try to take the pressure off him as much as we can,” guard Gary Payton II said. “He has a guy on his hip 48 minutes of the game. I’m pretty sure he’s a little gassed.”
Whether Curry will sit out the back-to-back when Milwaukee visits Chase Center on Tuesday night wasn't immediately clear.
Kerr planned to speak to Director Of Sports Medicine And Performance Rick Celebrini to determine the next steps.
On March 8, Curry became the 26th player to reach 25,000 points then connected for his 4,000th career 3-pointer last Thursday night against Sacramento. He celebrated his 37th birthday the next day.
The Warriors are currently on a season-high seven-game homestand that concludes Thursday against Toronto.
Golden State had won seven straight before the loss to the Nuggets and is 14-2 in games played by Curry's new backcourt mate Jimmy Butler since he debuted Feb. 8.
Having Curry healthy for the stretch run as Golden State chases a playoff berth is paramount.
“He’s exhausted right now. We’ve got to absolutely consider giving him a night and getting him rejuvenated for the sake of him and the remainder of our games,” Kerr said. “We’ll see. But I think he’s been tired the last few games so we’ve got to find a way to get him his juice back.”
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