Stephen Curry

Warriors’ Kerr On Curry: ‘Got To Get Him Some Rest’

March 18th, 2025 at 3:37pm CST by Luke Adams

3:37 pm: Curry will sit out Tuesday’s game against the Bucks, Anthony Slater of The Athletic confirms (Twitter link).

10:42 am: After Stephen Curry made just 6-of-21 shots from the floor and turned the ball over a season-high seven times in Monday’s loss to Denver, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters, including Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN, that the star guard is “tired.”

“Steph’s been carrying us for a month,” Kerr said. “He’s been amazing. He’s tired, so we got to get him some rest. Just, you can see it. He doesn’t have his energy right now.”

Curry played some of his best basketball of the season coming out of the All-Star break last month, averaging 30.1 points per game on .521/.437/.963 shooting during a stretch of eight wins in nine games. However, his output lately has been less consistent — in Golden State’s past four games, he has put up 20.8 PPG with a .375/.341/.952 shooting line.

“He’s exhausted right now,” Kerr said. “So we’ve got to absolutely consider giving him a night and getting him rejuvenated for the sake of him and the remainder of our games. But we’ll see. I think he’s been tired the last few games, and so we’ve got to find a way to get him his juice back.”

Kerr said the team would consider “potentially” resting Curry on Tuesday vs. Milwaukee in the second game of a back-to-back set. The Warriors were holding Curry out of one game when they played on consecutive days earlier in the season, but he has appeared in both ends of each of the team’s three most recent back-to-backs.

For his part, the two-time MVP said he feels “fine,” though he admitted that his back has been bothering him since last Thursday. He was listed as questionable before Monday’s game due to a right lower back strain.

“Obviously I didn’t play great at all (vs. Denver), so everybody including Coach is going to try to figure out why,” Curry said. “Mostly the turnovers, dumb plays all night, but I had a really good run. You expect to have a level of consistency and whatnot, so when it doesn’t happen it becomes a question. I feel like (it’s) more so my back I was dealing with the last couple of days, see how that responds tomorrow, but otherwise feel pretty solid.”

Star forward Jimmy Butler, who has been playing a complementary role since arriving in Golden State at the trade deadline, suggested he and the team will make an effort to reduce take some of the pressure off Curry.

“It’s OK to be tired, and that’s on myself and on us as a unit to pick up the slack for him,” Butler said. “Everybody wants to think that he is superhuman. He is not. He is our leader, and we must protect him at all times.”

Warriors Notes: Kuminga, Curry, Butler, Dunleavy

March 14th, 2025 at 8:58am CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors, who’ve been tearing through the league since picking up Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline, added another explosive element to their lineup Thursday night, writes Ron Kroichick of The San Francisco Chronicle. Jonathan Kuminga, who has been recovering from a lateral right ankle sprain that kept him sidelined since January 4, returned with 18 points in 20 minutes in a blowout win over Sacramento.

Golden State fans gave Kuminga a rousing ovation when he checked into the game midway through the first quarter, and Kroichick observes that he showed few signs of being rusty after the two-month layoff. He shot 7-of-10 from the field, finishing his night with three straight dunks.

“We’re a lot more dangerous in transition with him,” Kevon Looney said. “Early in the year, that was one thing we wanted to be better at. Since he’s been out, I don’t think we’ve been as good and our identity changed a little bit. But you see it when he’s out there: We’re a totally different team in transition. He’s putting a lot of pressure on the rim, and when he does that (Stephen Curry) gets open shots, Buddy (Hield) gets open shots, Moses (Moody) gets open shots.”

Kuminga described his ankle injury as “pretty bad,” and coach Steve Kerr told reporters that it turned out to be more significant than the team originally believed. Kerr experimented Thursday by playing Kuminga alongside Butler and Draymond Green in a small-ball lineup and was encouraged by how they looked together.

“What you notice is the different dimension (Kuminga) gives us, with his explosion to the rim,” Kerr said. “The way teams are playing Steph now, everybody is top-locking him. It completely distorts the defense, and it makes sense, but then you don’t have help in certain areas. So if you have a guy like JK who can attack and score at the rim, it’s a huge help.”

There’s more on the Warriors:

Curry became the first player with 4,000 career three-pointers, reaching that mark off a broken play in the third quarter, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. As Youngmisuk points out, he has made more than 1,000 long-distance shots since passing Ray Allen in 2021 for the all-time lead in that category. “It’s a clear milestone threshold,” Curry said. “A number that I didn’t think about, that it was realistic even from 2,974, which is a number that means the most because that was the record at the time. It’s beyond my wildest dreams to push a record that far.”
After Butler was dealt to the Warriors, he was determined to move past the drama that marked his contentious exit from Miami, according to Marc J. Spears of Andscape. He started by telling his new teammates that winning is more important to him than anything. “When I walked in, I was like, ‘Yo, look man, I’m only here to win,’” Butler said. “’I don’t care about nothing else. I don’t care about points. I don’t care about shots. I don’t care about none of that. I’m only here to win and I’ve always only been places to win. So, whatever y’all need me to do, y’all let me know.’”
Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard examines general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr.‘s strategy for remaking the roster after a pair of major offseason trades fell through, making sure he had the right pieces in place when the opportunity arose to acquire Butler.

Stephen Curry Becomes Assistant GM At Davidson

March 10th, 2025 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Warriors guard Stephen Curry has accepted an offer to become an assistant general manager for Davidson College’s basketball programs, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.

Charania notes that Curry is the first active player in U.S. professional sports to take an administrative job with a college team. He’s expected to provide guidance and advice to athletes at the school based on the experiences of his career, Charania adds.

Curry played for the Wildcats from 2006-09, displaying the unique shooting skills that have made him a star in the NBA. He averaged 25.3 points per game and made 414 three-pointers in his three seasons at Davidson, paving the way for him become the seventh player selected in the 2009 draft.

Charania states that Curry will work closely with Davidson general manger Austin Buntz, who was formerly part of Under Armour’s global sports marketing team. Curry signed with Under Armour in 2013 and has a lifetime shoe contract with the company.

According to Charania, Curry and his wife Ayesha will join with Davidson supporters Don, Matt and Erica Berman to start an eight-figure fund to aid the men’s and women’s athletic programs at the college. Matt Berman, a former Wildcats soccer player, will also serve as an assistant GM.

Charania notes that Curry completed his undergraduate degree at Davidson in 2022 and is considered a member of the Class of 2010.

California Notes: Batum, Monk, Sabonis, Loucks, Curry

March 9th, 2025 at 1:39pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Clippers forward Nicolas Batum made just his fourth start this year on Friday and helped his club notch a 105-95 win over New York, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Typical starter Derrick Jones Jr. is still dealing with a groin injury, opening up an opportunity for the 36-year-old reserve.

Batum, whose season-high 17 points against the Knicks included 5-for-7 shooting from deep, noted that his gig as a backup under head coach Tyronn Lue has meant staying ready and adjusting to an irregular role.

“I mean that was the talk I had with Ty during the offseason after the Olympics and during training camp,” Batum said. “I mean some games I play 25 (minutes), some games five minutes, some games I won’t play… But I knew, like maybe like down the road, like the last 20 games, I might mean more like (in) a game tonight (with) some injury, so I need to be ready to step up.”

The 6’8″ vet is averaging just 17.4 minutes per game this year, his lowest in 17 NBA seasons. All told, Batum is logging 3.6 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.2 APG and 0.7 SPG during his time on the hardwood for the 34-29 Clippers.

There’s more out of California:

Kings starters Malik Monk (sprained toe) and Domantas Sabonis (hamstring strain) have both been given the green light to resume on-court activity this weekend, per Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. Both will miss Sunday’s clash against the Clippers, and Sabonis has been ruled out for Monday’s matchup with the Knicks as well. Jonas Valanciunas has served as Sabonis’ replacement, while Keon Ellis has been starting in place of Monk.
Kings assistant coach Luke Loucks is set to start his reported new gig as the head coach at Florida State immediately. According to Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 KTXL Sacramento (Twitter link), the 34-year-old Loucks logged his last game on interim coach Doug Christie‘s staff on Friday in a 127-109 win over San Antonio. Loucks played under 23-year now-former FSU head coach Leonard Hamilton in college.
Warriors guard Stephen Curry scored his 25,000th career point against Detroit during a 115-110 win Saturday, Golden State announced in a press statement (via Twitter). Curry, 36, is now just the 10th player in the history of the league to have reached that tally for a single team. Across 55 healthy bouts so far this season, the two-time MVP and 11-time All-Star is averaging 24.5 points, 6.2 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per night. He’s the best player on an ascendant Golden State squad, which has won nine of its past 10 contests and is currently the West’s No. 6 seed at 36-28 overall.

Pacific Notes: Budenholzer, Booker, Bol, Jemison, Goodwin, Curry

March 1st, 2025 at 11:58am CST by Tristan Tucker

Weeks ago, Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer reportedly called on star Devin Booker to “tone it down vocally” during games, reports NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link). According to Haynes, Booker was surprised at the request.

As Haynes points out, Booker seemed to allude to that conversation during his post-game remarks on Thursday when he discussed what the Suns need to do to improve amid a stretch that’s seen them drop out of the play-in picture in the West.

“It can be fixed with just a little more talking I’d say,” Booker said. “Things get tough, we get quiet as a team and from my experience and what I’ve seen, that’s not the way to get through it.”

Budenholzer addressed the report on Friday, per Duane Rankin of Arizona Republic. According to the championship-winning coach, he and Booker talk often and have a healthy relationship and dialogue.

“Devin always starts with himself,” Budenholzer said. “He’s always pushing us to be better. Devin is awesome and his communication is awesome. His style is great. I get it, I understand. I don’t have a lot more to say. There’s conversations I have with Devin all the time. I’m good with those conversations. We don’t always agree on everything. I think he actually appreciates it, I appreciate it. I’ll leave it there.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

The Suns have leaned heavily recently on Bol Bol, who has started five of their past eight games. He’s been impressive in those five starts, averaging 19.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game while shooting 55.2% from the field and 41.2% from three (on 6.8 attempts per game). His strong play drew praise from teammate Kevin Durant, per PHNX Sports (Twitter link). “I think a lot of younger players can learn from how he approaches the game,” Durant said of Bol. “And it’s not as glamorized, people don’t think that about Bol, because he’s so quiet and unassuming, but he’s a pro’s pro, and he’s shown that ever since he came here to Phoenix. And ever since he’s been my teammate, I’ve been blown away by how hard he works, how much he cares, how much he wants to go out there and play well, how great of a teammate he is.“
Two-way center Trey Jemison played a big role in the Lakers‘ win over the Clippers, recording five points and six rebounds in 22 minutes. As Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times points out (via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin’s Twitter), the Lakers are 10-0 this season when Jemison plays. The big man said he’s impressed with how L.A.’s bench is shaping up in the late stretch of the season. “If you want this win, you have to come fight us. Literally fight us,” Jemison said of the bench identity, per The Athletic Jovan Buha (Twitter link).
Another two-way player for the Lakers has also stood out as of late — in his eight games with Los Angeles, Jordan Goodwin is averaging 6.1 points and 1.3 steals. According to Buha (Twitter link), head coach JJ Redick said he foresees Goodwin continuing to play a rotation role moving forward. The Lakers don’t have any roster spots open and two-way players aren’t eligible for the playoffs, so if they want Jemison or Goodwin to have a role in the postseason rotation, they’d have to clear spots for one or both by waiving players on guaranteed deals.
Stephen Curry‘s 56 points on Thursday emphasized the fact that he and the Warriors are still worth monitoring as a potential contender, Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic writes. While Thompson suggests it may be premature to call the Warriors true contenders, he notes that Curry continues to prove there are few players in the league worth taking over him in a seven-game series.

Pacific Notes: Booker, Durant, Curry, Kuminga, Clippers

February 28th, 2025 at 10:25am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Suns dropped five games below .500 with a loss to the Pelicans on Thursday. Devin Booker expressed his frustration after Phoenix lost for the 10th time in 12 games.

“Skipping over the details and always taking the ‘get ’em next game’ mentality,” Booker said, per Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. “At some point, you got to draw a line and should’ve been drawn a long time ago.”

Kevin Durant was also exasperated but chose his words carefully.

“I don’t want to say the wrong thing and people take it out of context. So I’m just going to agree that we got to be better,” he said.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Stephen Curry had a magical night against the Magic on Thursday, pouring in 56 points, including a dozen 3-pointers. Curry reached the 50-point mark for the 14th time in his career. Warriors coach Steve Kerr feels Curry has been energized by the Jimmy Butler trade, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “He’s the one that keeps using the term ‘meaningful basketball,’” Kerr said. “Which I love. It’s so eloquent and humble. Steph just wants to play meaningful basketball. You can see we’re now in the fight, in the mix. This is what Steph loves. As great a player and shooter as he is, his competitiveness is probably his most underrated quality. He was dying to be back in the mix. Now we’re back in the mix. He’s energized by that.”
Jonathan Kuminga has gone through three scrimmages, including one full-court scrimmage, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN tweets. However, Kuminga’s return isn’t imminent, according to Kerr, as the Warriors are playing it cautious with their young forward. Kuminga hasn’t played since Jan. 4 due to an ankle injury.
The Clippers are suffering from chemistry issues due to a number of factors, Janis Carr of the Orange County Register writes. They were in a good flow earlier in the season but roster moves and injuries have disrupted the rotation. They are 4-6 this month, with a pair of three-game losing streaks.

Pacific Notes: Iguodala, Kawhi, Powell, Morris, Martin

February 24th, 2025 at 4:11pm CST by Rory Maher

Andre Iguodala‘s No. 9 jersey went into the rafters of the Chase Center on Sunday, making him the seventh Warriors player to have his jersey retired, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. The four-time champion dedicated much of his speech to thanking staff members, but made sure to express his appreciation to fans and former teammates as well, including two-time MVP Stephen Curry.

“None of this would have happened without all of you, the fans,” Iguodala said.

“We haven’t really had time to reflect, Steph, you made the world turn. That is not something you say lightly. You truly changed the game of basketball. It was beautiful. … I understood my role. I understood the genius of Draymond [Green], the genius of Klay [Thompson], the genius of Kevin Durant. … Shaun Livingston and I … we had this unique team that understood, had this precious ultra-talented assassin. Steph, none of this happens without you.”

Curry called it “weird and surreal” to attend the ceremony, noting that it’s been “hard to fill that void” in the locker room since Iguodala retired.

“I think we all can feel it but this isn’t just about a number going into the rafters,” Curry said of Iguodala. “This is about a player who changed the course of our entire franchise. … You were the first one to choose us, and that meant the world. For a team that knew we were good but didn’t know how to get to that next level, you unlocked so much confidence, so much IQ, so much maturity to what we did.

“You sacrificed ego for excellence, which for us is the Warriors way.”

Here’s more from the Pacific:

Key Clippers starters Kawhi Leonard (left foot soreness) and Norman Powell (left patellar tendinopathy) will be sidelined for Monday’s contest in Detroit, tweets Law Murray of The Athletic. It’s the second straight absence for Leonard and third for Powell, who was previously listed as having left knee soreness. As expected, Ben Simmons will also be sidelined with what the team called left knee injury management — he has yet to play both ends of a back-to-back this season (the Clippers lost at Indiana on Sunday).
Veteran forward Markieff Morris was an afterthought in the blockbuster trade that saw Luka Doncic land with the Lakers, but head coach JJ Redick says he’s been a valuable leader in the locker room, according to Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group (subscriber link). “He’s been awesome,” Redick said. “It’s very valuable to have a guy like that, a voice, an older voice, someone who’s seen it all in the NBA, someone who’s won a championship. Obviously that helps as well. He’s been great on the bench with talking with guys, making sure our bench energy is good. I told him the other day, we see it and we appreciate it and we all just value what he’s doing right now from that aspect in leadership.”
Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer says there’s no timetable for Cody Martin to return from a sports hernia injury, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter video link). “He’s putting work in. I think he’s making progress, but I don’t have an update on his expected return time. I think we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” Budenholzer said. Martin, who was acquired from Charlotte at the trade deadline, last played on January 24. The 29-year-old wing was doing some shooting drills prior to Saturday’s game, Rankin adds (via Twitter).

Warriors Notes: Starting Five, Hield, Kuminga, Butler, Curry

February 23rd, 2025 at 1:43pm CST by Luke Adams

In their last game before the All-Star break, the Warriors used their 33rd starting lineup of the season: Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, Moses Moody, and Brandin Podziemski.

The group helped lead the team to a road win in Houston and earned another start coming out of the break on Friday in Sacramento. After Golden State registered a blowout victory in that game, head coach Steve Kerr said he plans to stick with this starting five despite its lack of size, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

“I hope so. Because we’ve had a million different starting lineups this year. It’d be nice to stick with this for the rest of the season,” Kerr said. “I think it’s the best two-way starting group we can put on the floor. You get Moses’ shooting, you get BP’s play-making to go with Steph and Jimmy. Then Draymond and Jimmy at the five and four defensively behind the play. We lack size, but we have a lot of brainpower back there.”

Butler, the tallest player in the lineup at 6’7″, admitted that it’s “definitely” the smallest starting five he has been part of, Slater writes. Still, the Warriors’ big trade-deadline acquisition is confident in the quintet’s ability to make it work.

“I like it,” Butler said. “I do. You’ve just got some feisty individuals out there that’s fighting, scrapping on both sides of the ball, sharing the ball, scoring, getting stops. Small or not, we’re getting it done.”

Here’s more on the Warriors:

Buddy Hield has started 22 games for Golden State this season, including 12 in a row from January 22 to February 12. He has returned to the second unit following Kerr’s latest lineup change, but the Warriors’ coach said the veteran sharpshooter remains “a huge part of what we’re doing,” according to Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle. “The way we’re starting is not a reflection of his play,” Kerr said prior to Friday’s win, in which Hield scored 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting in 26 minutes off the bench.
Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, who has been out since January 4 due to a right ankle sprain, participated in his first 5-on-5, full-contact scrimmage on Saturday, according to Kerr (Twitter video link via Slater). While Kuminga appears to be nearing a return, he won’t play today vs. Dallas or on Tuesday vs. Charlotte, Kerr said. The plan is to reevaluate him prior to the five-game road trip that begins on Thursday in Orlando.
In another story for The San Francisco Chronicle, Gordon notes that Butler’s presence puts Golden State in position to run an efficient offense during the minutes when Curry is off the floor. “It’s huge, just having another number one option out there so when Steph goes off the floor, we still have a number one option that we can play through,” Green said on Friday. “He doesn’t shoot much. … He’s just going to make the right play. He’s going to put guys in position to be successful and the defense has to react to him, or he gets easy buckets.”
The Warriors are starting to “figure out a good chemistry” with Butler, according to Curry, who praised his new teammate for his underrated passing ability, per Grant Afseth of Athlon Sports.

Warriors’ Draymond Green: ‘We’re Going To Win The Championship’

February 17th, 2025 at 1:07pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors currently hold the 10th seed in the Western Conference standings with a record of 28-27. If the season ended today, they’d have to win two play-in games just to claim the No. 8 playoff spot.

However, Golden State’s trade deadline acquisition of Jimmy Butler has emboldened Draymond Green, who said during Sunday’s All-Star broadcast as a TNT panelist that he expects to win his fifth NBA title this spring.

“Since (Butler)’s been here, we’ve walked into every game thinking and believing that we’re going to win that game,” Green said (Twitter video link). “And that goes a long way in this league. When you walk in the game like, ‘Ah man, we’re probably gonna lose this game,’ it’s not good. He’s brought back that belief. And I think we’re going to win the championship.”

Asked to repeat that last part, Green continued, “I’m sorry, I said, ‘I think we’re going to win the championship,’ but I lied.’ We are going to win the championship.”

As Sam Amick of The Athletic writes, Green was simply going public with a belief that he had been expressing frequently behind the scenes in recent days. Green told Amick shortly after reporting to All-Star weekend on Friday that Golden State is “absolutely” going to win a championship this year, and he said the same thing to Warriors owner Joe Lacob last week, Amick adds.

Certainly, the Warriors have looked like a more dangerous team since Butler’s arrival, winning three of four road games heading into the All-Star break, including victories in Milwaukee and Houston. They still have plenty of work to do to even secure a playoff spot, but All-Star guard Stephen Curry didn’t balk upon hearing about his teammate’s proclamation.

“We love pressure, we love expectations,” Curry said during an interview on the TNT telecast when asked about Green’s comments (Twitter video link). “He knows that. He’s smart, he knows what he’s saying.”

Curry delivered a similar message during his post-game press conference (Twitter video link): “I’m excited. I got Draymond on the telecast guaranteeing we’re winning a championship. I love expectations and having something to play for, so he’s lighting a fire for sure.

All-Star Notes: Wembanyama, Curry, Edwards, Giannis

February 17th, 2025 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The solution to fixing the competitive level in the NBA’s All-Star Game may be as simple as unleashing Victor Wembanyama, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Making his first appearance in the showcase Sunday night, the 7’3″ center displayed an intensity that got the attention of his fellow All-Stars.

“I thought he played like he plays in a game, seriously,” Damian Lillard said. “When I saw him, I was like, ‘He was not messing around.’ One time, he got fouled. The ref didn’t call it and he got mad. He knows one way, and you can tell that he’s going to play that way every time.”

Wembanyama vowed earlier this week to take the game seriously, something that has been an issue in recent All-Star contests regardless of the format. Playing on a team drafted by Charles Barkley, he saw just six minutes in the semifinal contest, posting six points, four rebounds, a block and a steal. He followed that with 11 points, three rebounds and a block in eight minutes in the championship round.

“My biggest takeaway is that it’s possible to give a hundred percent on that court, to play hard, to play your ass off,” Wembanyama said. “And, for me, it’s the only way to play basketball, and I think it’ll only make the game better.”

There’s more from the All-Star Game:

Stephen Curry received 12 of the 14 MVP votes, making him the 15th player in NBA history to win the honor more than once, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Several players pointed out that the abbreviated format makes it harder for anyone to put up the gaudy numbers that are typically associated with All-Star MVPs. “In this type of format, nobody is going to have 50 points, or 30 points is even going to be hard to do unless you shoot it every time and make every shot,” Lillard said. “But you look at what jumps out. When was the crowd the loudest? What jumped off the floor? And that’s probably who your MVP is going to be. So, watching the game, it was like, ‘I’m pretty sure Steph is going to win it.’ … I don’t know how many points he had, it couldn’t have been that much, but I think it was the eye test.”
Anthony Edwards sat out Sunday due to a groin injury, although the reason wasn’t announced until his team lost in the opening round. He didn’t want to risk aggravating the condition with so little at stake, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. “I’ve never been an All-Star Game type of guy, to like take it serious and go out there and try to guard somebody and get a stop,” Edwards said. “I’ve never been that type of guy. I just save it for the Timberwolves season, pretty much.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s suggestion to liven up the All-Star Game is to take it overseas, according to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. “It would be fun,” Antetokounmpo said. “Having a game in the UK or a game in Paris. Or having a game in Greece, obviously is a small country, but why not. Having a game in China, an All-Star Game in China, and all the stars go there for a weekend and play the game.”

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