Steve Kerr‘s Golden State Warriors suffered a tough 124-112 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night. Given that the team was shorthanded, with Jimmy Butler also being sidelined with a knee injury in the first half, the prospects of victory were slim. Nevertheless, the Warriors displayed a lot of heart while facing the top-seeded team in the West.
A loss like this definitely stings, especially with injuries playing a big factor. While concerns emerge for the future, Steve Kerr provided an update on the Warriors’ star core of Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler.
While addressing Curry’s quad injury during the post-game press conference, Kerr said, “He will not make the trip. He’s going to stay home. It was a long shot for him to play in the back-to-back, and we don’t play again till Friday. So it just makes perfect sense for him to stay home with Rick, get the rehab done here, get his work in, and hopefully be ready for Minnesota next Friday.”
Steve Kerr’s update on Stephen Curry provides a promising outlook, indicating that the superstar could return in just over a week. However, considering Butler’s situation, this could also leave the Warriors in a vulnerable position.
“I don’t know anything more,” Steve Kerr said, addressing Butler’s knee injury with the media. “I didn’t even know until I got out there and I was drawing up a play with a minute to go, and somebody came in the huddle and said Jimmy’s down in the training room.”
The lack of clarity regarding Butler’s health could be a point of concern. With the Warriors falling to 11-11 after Tuesday night’s loss, the team’s chances of building a winning streak appear slim without its top players.
Steve Kerr Discusses Seth Curry’s Warriors Debut
While the result of the game against the Thunder was largely disappointing, there was still something to be optimistic about as Seth Curry made his debut for the Golden State Warriors. With 14 points from the bench in 18 minutes on 6-of-7 shooting from the field, Curry was impressive.
Following the game, Steve Kerr spoke about Curry’s performance in his debut game for Golden State.
“He comes from the greatest shooting family in the history of basketball. He’s a pro. The guy’s been around for a long time, and he’s helped win a lot of games for a lot of teams,” Kerr said. “He kept himself ready.”
“He just knows how to play. He’s in the right place at the right time. He doesn’t turn it over. He’s a good passer. He fights defensively. It’s great to have him.”
Curry’s contributions were crucial to keeping the Warriors’ hopes of making a comeback alive. When asked about how he managed to have such a solid debut, the veteran guard credited his teammates.
“I haven’t played with any of those guys in a live-action, ever,” Curry stated. “This is the high-IQ, with guys like Draymond, GP, even Pat; they know my game. They’ve seen me play enough where they know where to give me the ball or where I like to be aggressive from. So they’re going to find me.”
“We’re going to get better over the next couple of games playing as a unit, and hopefully get some wins until the main guys get back.”
Seth Curry initially signed with the Warriors as a free agent this offseason, but was unfortunately waived before he could make an appearance with the team. Coming off a solid performance, he makes a strong case for deserving a spot in the rotation.
With some key starters potentially sidelined for their upcoming matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Warriors will look to players such as Seth Curry to step up. Given the value of bench contributions moving forward, Steve Kerr and the Warriors will hope to dig deep in an effort to stay afloat.
