The Warriors have been in a rut since Steph Curry injured his tailbone in an awkward fall against the Houston Rockets on March 17.
Aside from his scoring and the MVP-caliber type numbers he was putting up this season, Curry’s intangibles have been sorely lacking. Warriors coach Steve Kerr discussed the absence of Curry following Friday night’s 124-108 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
“Since the break our defense has not been great,” Kerr said in his postgame video conference. “This is a tough spell for us. It’s a tough stretch. Frankly, I think we miss Steph and the confidence he brings to the group right now.
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“Offense and defense are connected. Even though we’re really focused on [discussing] the defensive end, the offense, the numbers are fine the past couple of nights. We’re shooting fine and scoring fine but we haven’t been in the game at all. I think more than anything we’re in a tough stretch. We’re in a funk.”
Golden State is 1-6 in games without Curry this year. The Steph-less Dubs topped the Memphis Grizzlies 116-103 a week ago but have lost four straight since.
Friday night’s game seemed over by halftime with the Hawks leading by 18. The Warriors gave up 141 points to the Sacramento Kings on Thursday and collapsed down the stretch against the Philadelphia 76ers before that. It’s not just the losses, it’s the manner in which the Dubs are throwing games down the drain.
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Golden State Warriors
Rookie Nico Mannion explained how some Steph swagger is missing when he’s not on the floor.
“I think it’s just the person that he is,” Mannion said. “How confident he is in himself and the plays he makes. Some of the plays he makes just bring energy to really whoever’s watching TV, you see a highlight at the game, on the bench, in the stands.
“It will give you a little bit of life, a little bit of energy. We miss that. He brings a little bit of magic, the way he plays, the shots he makes, some excitement. He’s one of our leaders of course, we definitely miss him right now.”
Kerr said Curry is “making good progress” in his return but the Warriors will have to find their own mojo without their superstar leader for the foreseeable future.