Steph Curry’s absence looms large as Warriors suffer concerning loss to Spurs

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Steph Curry’s absence looms large as Warriors suffer concerning loss to Spurs

SAN FRANCISCO — Life without Steph Curry has never been fun for the Warriors, and nothing about this year’s group changed that on Saturday. For as much development as Jonathan Kuminga has shown, as impressive as rookies Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis have been, as much as veteran Chris Paul can bring, they won’t have much of a chance without Curry. He remains their sun, and they tend to fall out of orbit when he goes dark. Without Curry, the Warriors couldn’t even keep pace with the last-place Spurs, who entered at 13-50 and were missing Victor Wembanyama — by far their best player. The Spurs led by as much as 21 and maintained a healthy lead by shooting 51.5% from 3-point distance in the Chase Center. “We just never had any traction in the game,” coach Steve Kerr said postgame. “I didn’t feel like we had confidence or energy.” Kuminga struggled early but scored 19 points in the fourth quarter and Klay Thompson dropped a game-high 27, but the Warriors needed much more in a 126-113 defeat. For the first leg of a home-and-home with the Spurs, Golden State (33-30) absorbed a disconcerting loss to the Western Conference’s worst team. ImageGolden State Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga (00) scores against the San Antonio Spurs in the fourth quarter of an NBA game, Saturday, March 9, 2024, at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) The Warriors knew finding rotations that worked with Curry sidelined could be an adventure. But this loss was a tribulation no one could have foreseen. The only encouraging note is that the two-time MVP isn’t expected to miss serious time, as he’s set for re-evaluation on Tuesday. Without Curry, the Warriors started a defensive-minded lineup. They ran more offense through their new point guard, Chris Paul, and ascending young wing Jonathan Kuminga — who came alive late. They ran more sets with off-ball actions instead of the freestyling drive-and-kicks Curry tends to generate. The results were rarely promising. Several possessions ended with tough, contested jump shots. Instead of the elegant ball and player movement that has defined Steve Kerr’s Warriors offensive system, there were many more isolations and no-pass possessions. With fewer 3-point shooting threats on the floor, the paint was much more clogged than usual. “Steph makes our life easier,” Thompson said postgame. “Everybody out there’s life easier. Because he demands so much attention.” Golden State’s lack of outside shooting was particularly evident when the Spurs’s 2-3 zone swallowed up their halfcourt offense. In the first five minutes of the second quarter, the Warriors mustered just five points. Dario Saric, who was summoned from outside of Kerr’s rotation for shooting, broke a two-minute Warriors scoring drought. The Warriors trailed the Spurs by 19 at the half, having scored just 16 points in the second quarter. Ranked 24th in defensive rating, San Antonio is hardly a machine on that end of the floor. And without Wembanyama, the generational rookie who disrupts everything in the paint, it’s even worse. San Antonio was also without rotation players Cedi Osman and Devin Vassell. It’s unlikely the Warriors thought it would be as difficult to score as it was. They’ve played without Curry before, and Klay Thompson said on Thursday that “we’ll do well without him, we’ll rely on our history and how to execute without him.” That’s easier said than done. The Warriors came into Saturday 0-3 in games without Curry this year and had lost to the Bulls after he exited with the ankle sprain. In 2019-20, they went 15-50 when he missed almost the entire year. The Warriors didn’t hang tough defensively, either, though that has less to do with Curry’s absence. During one stretch in which the Warriors threatened to make a run, they let Julian Champagnie take a wide-open corner 3 in semi-transition to quell their momentum. “I felt like they got a few easy ‘HORSE’ shots that got them going, got them comfortable,” Jackson-Davis said. “Miscommunications and breakdowns, they were getting and they were getting easy shots. Our defense broke down.” Golden State started the second half small, with Draymond Green at center and Thompson in for spacing. It worked initially, with the Warriors opening the third quarter on a 16-8 run. The success continued, at least on one end. Golden State put together a 36-point quarter, but continued to bleed open looks from behind the arc on the other end. Every time Thompson drilled a 3 or Jackson-Davis made an acrobatic finish, it seemed like a Spur canned a batting practice triple to answer. Golden State Warriors | Warriors adjusting rotation with Steph Curry sidelined [*] Golden State Warriors | Warriors provide encouraging update on Steph Curry’s injured ankle [*] Golden State Warriors | NBA’s ‘deepest’ Western Conference making Warriors playoff push a struggle [*] Golden State Warriors | Warriors: Curry’s ankle injury won’t be long-term, per report [*] Golden State Warriors | How did Ayesha and Steph Curry become godparents to Lindsay Lohan’s son? [/list] After three quarters, San Antonio — the second-worst 3-point shooting team in the league — shot 61.5% from deep and led by 17. “As the game went on, we had multiple breakdowns,” Kerr said. “They got to the rim at will. We gave up 28 free throws and 17 3s — you’ve got to stop something. And I thought they got anything they wanted all night. It was a tough night defensively.” Kuminga, who was quiet for most of the game, dropped 11 points in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter. Golden State’s most consistent offense of the night was Kuminga playing bully ball. Kuminga continued to score, and his gliding finish in transition cut San Antonio’s lead to 13 with 3:59 left. But a full-court trap and foul game wasn’t fruitful enough. That’s the position Golden State found itself in without Curry: playing out the string in desperation mode against a depleted version of one of the league’s least talented teams. “We have a great team to compete with anybody,” Kuminga said. “Of course we’re going to feel Steph’s absence, but it can’t be the reason, that Steph’s not playing, that we’re losing. Obviously, he comes in and changes the game, but just missing him doesn’t mean we’ve got to go out there and lose.”

Source: https://www.thereporter.com/2024/03/09/ ... ry-injury/
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