As “light the beam” chants grew louder towards the end of the Golden State Warriors‘ embarrassing 129-99 home loss to the Sacramento Kings on January 5, so did Stephen Curry‘s plea for help during his postgame interview.
“Nobody likes to get embarrassed like that, especially [with] the way we started the first quarter,” Curry told reporters.
The Kings, who played without their best player De’Aaron Fox (bruised glute muscle), went off to a 7-0 start and never looked back.
Fresh from a one-game rest for load management, Curry paced the Warriors with 26 points on 8-of-12 shooting on the second night of the team’s back-to-back schedule. But Curry did not muster enough support from his tired teammates, who beat the Memphis Grizzlies 121-113 in a very physical game the night before.
“When you’re looking up and it’s a double-digit lead before the first timeout and 36-21 [after the first quarter], we’re not really built for — especially with the situation, to have that crazy comeback,” Curry bluntly admitted.
Steph Curry: ‘That’s Not Our MO’
While the Warriors are deep, they do not have a reliable offensive option outside of Curry.
Fourth-year forward Jonathan Kuminga was blossoming into that second option over the last few weeks. But his ankle sprain could not come at the worst possible time with the trade deadline looming.
Kuminga, who averages 16.8 points per game, will be out for the next three weeks, the Warriors announced before they faced the Fox-less Kings.
Andrew Wiggins had his usual offensive night, scoring 18 points on 13 shots. Moses Moody came off the bench to fire 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting.
They were the only three Golden State players who attempted at least 10 shots on the night.
Without Kuminga, the Warriors’ little margin evaporated.
The Kings blew the Warriors out of the gates in their own game with 19 3-pointers. The Warriors only hit 12, four from Curry, as the Kings led by as many as 39 in the wire-to-wire victory.
“We haven’t shown [we can win from behind large margins this season],” Curry added. “It’s one of those things where you don’t want to be in that situation especially a back-to-back [schedule] where the guys exerted a lot of energy last night to get that win.
“So we would love to have started the game a lot better to give ourselves a chance and not be in a situation where you’re having to have crazy offensive fireworks to have a chance. That’s not our MO.”
Despite the Warriors losing 14 of their last 20 games, they still have the eighth-best title odds (+2600) at XBet, which offers competitive sports odds according to Otto Bergstrom at onlinecasinos2.com.
Will the Warriors make a big move to bring Curry more help at the trade deadline?
Warriors Unlikely to Pursue Jimmy Butler
Curry’s plea for help was clear and loud.
But the latest intel on the Warriors’ trade deadline move suggests he might not get what he wants.
The Warriors would rather keep Wiggins and Kuminga than swap them for six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler, making them an unlikely suitor for the disgruntled Miami Heat star, The Athletic reported on January 4.
A proven playoff performer, the 35-year-old Butler could give the Warriors an elite two-way force who can perfectly complement Curry’s scoring prowess and form a dynamic defensive tandem with Draymond Green.
“While acknowledging Butler’s ability, sources inside the locker room (and the Warriors’ coaching staff and front office) would rather keep their two best wings than acquire Butler,” the report said.
The report added that a source close to Butler said that “the Warriors are not currently seen as a viable option and there have been no substantive talks or traction to get any type of deal done.”
Butler’s cost — Wiggins, Kuminga and maybe two more salary fillers plus draft capital — outweighs their need for him in the eyes of the top decision-makers in the Warriors organization.
“Butler’s history and reputation is as a premium two-way perimeter player — which the Warriors could use. Some credence exists to the idea that his midrange repertoire and defensive prowess could elevate the Warriors into that next tier of playoff threat. But Butler’s age and injury history makes him a risky choice. His price tag makes him an untenable option,” the report said.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Steph Curry Sends Blunt Message to Warriors After 30-Point Loss as Trade Deadline Looms appeared first on Heavy Sports.