Even Stephen Curry’s second-highest scoring performance of his illustrious career was insufficient to help his team defeat the resurgent Atlanta Hawks on the road. Despite how disappointing the Golden State Warriors’ defeat on Saturday was, there isn’t really anything to complain about. The severely shorthanded Dubs had nothing left in their collective tank as the extra session ended.
At State Farm Arena, Golden State was defeated 141-134 by Atlanta, letting up an incredible 60 points from Curry in overtime. In the fourth quarter, he scored 22 points, including the last 13 points of regulation, to keep the Warriors in the game. After that, despite a backdoor layup and two more absurd three-pointers from Curry, Golden State was doomed by its increasing absences on the second night of a road back-to-back.
“Steph was incredible. I mean, what a performance,” Steve Kerr said after the game, shaking his head. “I just feel so bad for him and for our guys, because they’re battling. Obviously we’re shorthanded, back-to-back. I thought we competed like crazy the whole game and just couldn’t get over the hump. But Steph was sublime.”
Depleted Dubs waste Stephen Curry’s ‘sublime’ performance
Moses Moody, Chris Paul, and Gary Payton II were all out for the Dubs going into Saturday’s game, and Dario Saric was also sidelined for the second straight game because of sickness. After sustaining a left foot injury late in the first half, Andrew Wiggins did not participate in the second half. Jonathan Kuminga fouled out with 1:06 left in regulation.
With both of their star forwards out of the lineup, the Warriors were forced to run double teams at Trae Young in the high post throughout overtime, which gave Atlanta constant good looks. It was not the best time for Klay Thompson to have one of his least productive and most puzzling shooting performances of the season (4-of-19 overall, including 2-of-13 from deep on several dubious attempts). When Dejounte Murray began teasing Brandin Podziemski with solo shots, the Warriors’ improvised bench was unable to answer.
As you can see from his expression on the postgame platform, Kerr was extremely unhappy that the Warriors had lost yet another game that they should have won—one that also wasted a masterwork by Curry. Nevertheless, the coach of Golden State at least offered a glimmer of hope as his perpetually thinned team lumbers toward the All-Star break.
“They’re competing, they’re playing together,” Kerr said of the Warriors. “Just gotta keep moving, keep moving forward.”
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