Getty Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors reacts.
Stephen Curry is having an MVP-type season but the Golden State Warriors keep on blowing away double-digit leads.
As they fell two games below .500 after a 138-136 overtime loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on December 8, Curry has grown tired of talking about what the Warriors must do to change their fortunes.
“I don’t know man,” a dejected Curry told reporters after the loss. “We got to figure out how to stop talking about it and do it or else [we’ll] be into the new year with the same problem. So whatever it is, if it’s within our control, we got to do it if we’re going to be any type of a serious team. And yeah, I’m kind of sick of talking about it too. So [we] just got to go do it.”
Curry scored 34 points, hiking his scoring average to 29.9 per game. But the Warriors blew away a 14-point lead to the Thunder by committing a season-high 28 turnovers. It also marked their most turnovers in a single game under Steve Kerr.
Curry had three of those turnovers while the rest of the starters combined for 16.
The turnover woes have plagued the Warriors since last season, when they averaged a league-worst 16.3 errors per game. This season, they are slightly better, averaging 15.9 per game, ranked 26th in the league.
The Thunder capitalized on the Warriors’ erratic play, scoring 35 points off their turnovers.
“They made their run especially at home with a lot of self-inflicted wounds,” Curry said. “I know we had a couple of turnovers in transition that you’re trying to push the pace and kind of get into a bind or just dumb passes. But 28 [turnovers]? Like I almost want to just go watch all of them just to see if there’s a pattern that revealed itself.”
Steve Kerr Keeps The Faith
Kerr still kept the faith despite another ugly loss.
“We’re good enough to win a championship,” Kerr said. “This team. I believe that. But if we are just going to turn it over and throw the ball to the other team and foul over and over, then we’re going to lose.”
“We know the formula. We just controlled that whole game on the road against a great team,” Kerr added. “That’s our game. So, yeah turnovers and fouls [were the reasons we lost].”
Draymond Green’s ill-advised foul on rookie Chet Holmgren’s 3-point attempt with eight seconds left led to the overtime. The Thunder skinny big man calmly sank all three free throws while Curry missed a tough jumper against Lu Dort at the buzzer.
Steve Kerr Sticks Lives and Dies With His Starters
Despite his repeated hints at shaking up the Warriors starting lineup, Kerr still stuck with the same group that started over the past two seasons.
“It’s more of a big picture,” Kerr said before the game via The Athletic’s Anthony Slater. “I’ve got to see — with Draymond’s suspension — we didn’t get a really chance to see this group for the full quarter of the season. It has just been a weird start for the year, a lot of things, a lot of moving parts. I want to give them another chance and see how it goes. They have a proven track record with them. I’ve got to keep giving them opportunities.”