It has been a while since Steph Curry's rotational pattern has been a topic of conversation, but that talking point might resurface with each passing NBA playoff game.
Following the Warriors' tough 126-123 loss to the Sacramento Kings in Game 1 of their NBA playoff series Saturday night at Golden 1 Center, Curry was asked by The Athletic's Anthony Slater about his substitution pattern.
Curry immediately began laughing as Slater asked the question.
"I don't know, man," Curry said. "I played 37 [minutes]. You got 11 [minutes] on the bench. Try to find the right times to get a little breather knowing that I'm not playing 48, but yeah, I don't know."
When The Athletic's Marcus Thompson II began a follow-up question, Curry kept the joke going.
"I was waiting for you to say it," Curry said. "Y'all in cahoots over here. That's nice."
All joking aside, the non-Curry minutes at the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth quarter might have cost the Warriors the game against the No. 3 seed Kings.
Curry subbed out of the game at the 2:18 mark of the third quarter with the Warriors up 86-78 and the Kings closed the period on a 13-4 run to take a 91-90 lead into the fourth quarter.
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The reigning NBA Finals MVP remained on the bench when the final quarter began and the Kings pushed their lead to 101-97 before Curry re-entered the game with 9:20 left in the game.
Curry played the rest of the game and did his part to help the Warriors try to pull out the win, scoring 13 of his team-high 30 points in the fourth quarter. But those five minutes of game action on the bench appear to have swung the game toward the Kings.
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The Warriors should have enough firepower and smarts to withstand a long stretch without Curry. On this night, that didn't happen and now they find themselves in a one-game-to-none hole against their NorCal rivals.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr doesn't want to push Curry north of 40 minutes a night, but with the heightened importance of each game, it might be time for Curry to play the entire fourth quarter.