Stephen Curry dropped 48 points as the Golden State Warriors lost 131-136 to the Portland Trail Blazers. Following the game, Curry dove into why the Warriors lost this game down the stretch.
While he refused to pinpoint one player, his concerns were mainly focused on the team’s overall defensive strategies and tactics.
“I think there were a couple of breakdowns on the ball, switches that let them walk into threes, breakdowns, drives, shooters in the corner… You’re leaving capable shooters open,” said Curry while addressing the margins by which the Warriors lost tonight.
“We know we can’t turn the ball over. Those were moments when we could have taken control of the game and the momentum, not letting them have any life.”
“But they’re a relentless team, and they have three guys that try to break you down off the dribble, drive, kick, and score, hit threes from the corner. That’s how they kept themselves in the game…. We were right there, but against athletic teams, you have to keep the effort sustained for 48 minutes,” said Curry initially.
“Tonight, I don’t think it was him offensively at all; it was us collectively on the defensive end of the floor,” Curry further added while talking about Jimmy Butler’s contributions and how he takes up different roles to facilitate what the team needs.
The Trail Blazers had three scorers above 25 points, and two of them had over 30 points in this game. Jerami Grant and Shaedon Sharpe both had 35 points each, while Deni Avdija had 26 points. Thus highlighting how easily the Warriors’ opponents were able to score on them tonight.
Meanwhile, no one other than Curry had over 20 points for the Warriors. Despite single-handedly carrying the Warriors’ offense, Curry believes that their problems are on the defensive end of the floor.
Stephen Curry On Surpassing Michael Jordan In 40-Point Games After Age 30
Stephen Curry finished the loss against the Trail Blazers with 48 points, three rebounds, two assists, three steals, and one block while shooting an efficient 61.5% from the field (16-of-26) and 63.15% from the three-point line (12-of-19).
This game marked his 45th 40-point game in NBA history after turning 30. He has now officially surpassed Michael Jordan (44 games) as the sole holder of that record.
“Cool recognition and longevity. Obviously, I’d like to celebrate it with a win, but any time you’re doing anything with certain names in this league, historically, that definitely means something,” said Curry when asked about what he feels about this achievement.
Evidently, Curry would have loved to celebrate such a moment with a win tonight. But the Warriors have now fallen to 13-14 for the season as they look to face the Suns in their next game on Thursday, December 18.
