Steph Curry Gets Mental Break as Warriors Beat Bucks
Coach Steve Kerr gave Stephen Curry the night off Tuesday against Milwaukee, saying his superstar needed an emotional breather rather than physical rest. The 37-year-old is expected back in action Thursday when the Warriors face the Raptors.
“The last three games I think he’s been tired, but it’s more of a mental and emotional fatigue than physical,” Kerr explained before the game at Chase Center. “He’s fine physically. When he’s emotionally tired, it affects his decision-making. He’s a little bit out of sorts.”
With Curry watching from the sidelines, Jimmy Butler stepped up big time.
Butler dominated against the Bucks, putting up 24 points, grabbing 8 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists in Golden State’s convincing 104-93 win.
Kerr admitted he usually hates benching his best player, especially after Monday’s tough 114-105 loss to the Nuggets. But the signs of fatigue were becoming clear – Curry had logged 34+ minutes in six of their last ten games.
“We’ve got lots of experience with Steph. We know him well,” Kerr said.
The coach pointed to Curry’s rough night against Denver, where he managed just 20 points on 6-for-21 shooting, as evidence a break was needed.
“He just needs a night off once in a while. He’s for sure earned it.”
Interestingly, the Warriors have actually played pretty well without their superstar this season. They’re 7-3 in games Curry has missed.
Golden State has struggled overall lately, winning just 5 of their last 17 games. During his recent five-game stretch, Curry’s shooting has fallen well below his usual standards – just 37% from the floor and an uncharacteristic 32.2% from three-point range.
Curry himself downplayed concerns about his performance.
“I feel fine,” said the point guard, who’s still averaging a solid 26.6 points and 6.6 assists in 33.5 minutes this month. “Obviously I didn’t play great at all, so everybody including Coach is going to try to figure out why. Mostly the turnovers, dumb plays all night, but I had a really good run.”
The brief rest might be exactly what Curry needs to get back to his usual sharpshooting self as the Warriors look to build momentum heading into the final stretch of the season.
