The Golden State Warriors welcomed the surging Boston Celtics on Wednesday and were blown out as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 52 points, and the Dubs scored a mere 88 points.
However, there was a reason for their struggles, and there’s no clear knowledge of when these struggles will come to a conclusion. Why were the struggles excused? Well, it’s because the Warriors played just 14 minutes from Stephen Curry.
The Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr thought Marcus Smart’s dive on Stephen Curry’s ankle was a “dangerous” play.
He scored a season-low 3 points, exiting the game after Celtics guard Marcus Smart, who scored 20 points and had 8 assists in the 22-point Boston win, dove on the foot of the two-time MVP. Curry will be out indefinitely with a sprained foot.
There is hope that he’ll make a return prior to the playoffs, but he’ll be out for at least a couple of weeks. Here is what head coach Steve Kerr, who has coached Smart before, said on the play that’ll keep his star guard sidelined.
“I thought Marcus dove into Steph, and that’s what I was upset about. A lot of respect for Marcus. He’s a hell of a player, a gamer, a competitor. I coached him in the World Cup a few summers ago. We talked after the game and we’re good. But I thought it was a dangerous play,” Kerr said via ESPN’s Kendra Andrews.
Draymond Green did disagree with his coach though, saying he couldn’t necessarily call it dangerous. Green, who is all an all-heart player much like Smart, likely would’ve dove on a ball if it were a similar situation.
It’s not necessarily malicious or dirty; however, dangerous does seem to fit the mold pretty well.
Nonetheless, the result stays the same and the Warriors will be without Curry. That will mean players like third-year guard Jordan Poole and five-time All-Star Klay Thompson will have to fill the scoring void.
Both the team’s star guards recently combined for 68 points against the reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks, but so the elite talent is there. It just needs to be on display on a more regular basis now.
With that in mind, the good news is Curry will be healthy and rested in time for the playoffs and should get some practices in to help aid a consistent slump he’s been in for most of the season.