The Denver Nuggets arrived in San Francisco on Monday night without their top stars, Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. Despite their absence, the team found a way to challenge the Golden State Warriors and emerged with a valuable 114-105 victory. Stephen Curry, who didn’t have one of his most inspired performances, offered an explanation for his struggles.
“I feel like it’s more so my back that I’ve been dealing with the last couple of days,” Curry explained during a press conference following the loss at Chase Center. “It just started hurting... It was something I’ve dealt with a couple of years ago, but it was just a weird thing that popped up, and it was more just managing it.”
When asked when the pain first began, Steph recalled: “Last Thursday… it was actually pregame,” referring to the matchup against the Sacramento Kings, which ended in a 130-104 victory for the Warriors. Looking ahead to their game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night, Curry noted: “I’ll see how that responds tomorrow, but otherwise, I feel pretty solid.”
Curry’s performance vs. Denver
These comments came after a performance that was far from his usual standards. Curry registered 20 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds in 36 minutes on the court, but he struggled with shooting efficiency, making just 6 of 21 attempts from the field, and committed 7 turnovers.
“I feel fine,” the guard said, but quickly added: “Obviously, I didn’t play great at all, so everybody, including the coach, is gonna try to figure out why.” He went on to explain some of the mistakes that led to the unexpected loss to a shorthanded Nuggets team: “Obviously, turnovers, dumb plays, all night. Have a really good run, you know, you’re expected to have a level of consistency and whatnot, so when it doesn’t happen, it becomes a question.”
The Warriors’ streak
The Golden State Warriors had been riding an impressive 7-game winning streak, which was snapped Monday night by the Denver Nuggets. However, that defeat doesn’t diminish the team’s strong performances over the past few weeks, where they posted 14 wins and only 3 losses in their last 17 games.
This impressive turnaround helped the Warriors climb the Western Conference standings, putting them in position for direct playoff qualification. However, the sixth seed is far from assured. With a 39-29 record, the Warriors hold a slim lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves (40-30) and the Los Angeles Clippers (38-30). All indications are that the competition for this valuable spot will intensify as the 2024-25 NBA regular season draws to a close.