Stephen Curry was back in the lineup for the first time in 23 days on Saturday in Detroit, but his return was not enough to lift the Warriors to victory.
The 111-102 loss to the Pistons leaves the Warriors at 0-2 on the road trip and was their sixth straight road setback, extending their longest such streak under coach Steve Kerr.
Here are three takeaways from a game the Warriors never led after the early minutes of the second quarter:
The Curry Report
He was rusty, as expected, and at times a bit too impetuous on offense.
After an 11-game absence, Curry generally looked like someone who hadn’t played in three weeks. He badly missed his first three shots, all 3-pointers, was scoreless in the first quarter and opened the third quarter with back-to-back turnovers.
Curry eventually shook off most of the rust but spent much of the game battling foul trouble, including two offensive fouls on transition drives. He ended up with five fouls.
Curry totaled 27 points – 20 in the second half – on 10-of-21 shooting from the field, including 3-of-9 from beyond the arc. After a 2-of-9 first half, Curry was 8-of-12 in the second. He played 37 minutes was minus-8.
The Chef is preheating 👀 pic.twitter.com/cgWnlz8JtG
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 2, 2018
The upside is that the poor timing and lack of rhythm that typically accompany a first game faded as the game went on.
The bench came up short
In addition to Curry returning, which sent Quinn Cook to the bench, the Warriors also made a lineup change at forward, replacing Andre Iguodala with Jonas Jerebko.
The move, designed to create even more floor spacing, not only failed to produce the desired results but also robbed the bench of another shooter.
That was costly, as the Detroit’s reserves outscored those of the Warriors 42-13. Pistons wings Stanley Johnson (19 points), Ish Smith (11) and Langston Galloway (8) were particularly effective.
Warriors reserves shot 5-of-14 from the field, including 1-of-3 from deep. Iguodala didn’t make his usual impact and Jordan Bell (minus-16 in 14 minutes) and Shaun Livingston (minus-13 in 14 minutes) would just as soon forget their performances.
Jones leaves with shoulder injury
Damian Jones left the game and did not return after sustaining a strained left shoulder late in the third quarter.
Jones was hurt after getting tangled up with 280-pound Detroit center Andre Drummond as both chased a rebound. Jones immediately grabbed his left shoulder and was subbed out with 5.7 seconds left in the quarter.
Considering that he was facing Drummond – the league leader rebounds, offensive rebounds and second-chance points – Jones did a decent job under the circumstances. He finished with 9 points (3-of-7 shooting from the field, 3-of-4 from the line), five rebounds and two assists.
If Jones is unable to play Monday in Atlanta, the Warriors likely will choose between Kevon Looney and Bell to start at center. Either way, it’s a considerable trim to their big-man rotation.