The Golden State Warriors are on a slippery slope at the moment, with their 113-105 loss to the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center on Saturday being their fourth in a row. The Warriors had 13 different players step out on the court against the Suns and Stephen Curry was asked postgame if the rotation has to be shortened.
“It is hard for anybody to try to get a rhythm and know what you’re going to get asked to do,” Curry said. “In the first quarter, second quarter we had to play 13 guys? … That’s tough. We are a unique team, it’s a unique situation. I don’t think it has ben done in the league probably ever but it is an 82-game schedule and you gotta figure out what adjustments you need to make.
“To your question, do we need to shorten it? We probably need to be more predictable on a night-to-night basis so guys can get a little bit of a rhythm,” Curry stated. “Is that shortening one or two guys? Maybe.
“The first unit we didn’t start off well tonight so that was a little bit on us to try to claw our way back into the first,” Curry added. “Then we hit a little lull and whether that’s rotation or whether that’s lack of execution or whether that’s guys just not being in rhythm, whatever it is, we gotta adjust.”
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Warriors head coach Steve Kerr played 11 different players in the first quarter alone and it can get really difficult for players to find that rhythm when they aren’t out there for an extended stretch. I get that Kerr believes the team is very deep and he has a lot of options, but players thrive when there is some continuity and I think the rotation has to be trimmed.
Curry, who had missed the last game against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to knee soreness, himself wasn’t quite in rhythm in the first half. The 36-year-old had just two points on 0-5 shooting from the field at halftime but got going after the break. Curry scored 15 points in the third quarter alone to reduce a 66-49 deficit at the start of the period to 85-78 by the end of it.
The Warriors were back in the game thanks to Curry but he wasn’t able to drag them across the line. They got within five points late in the fourth quarter but the Suns held on and dropped them to 12-7 on the season.
Curry finished with 23 points, seven rebounds, and four assists in the contest. The 10-time All-Star wasn’t very efficient, shooting 8-21 from the field and 3-10 from three but was still the Warriors’ best player against the Suns. His supporting cast didn’t really impress on the night and calls for the team to make some trades are growing louder.
It doesn’t get any easier for Curry and the Warriors following this loss either. They take on the Denver Nuggets next at Ball Arena on Tuesday at 10 PM ET in an NBA Cup game. The Warriors have already advanced to the knockouts so it’s not a must-win for the cup, but they do desperately need a win there to arrest this slide.
