Stephen Curry departed Thursday night's game against the Miami Heat with seven minutes remaining and wasn't seen again as the Golden State Warriors reeled off their sixth-straight win with a 120-100 dismantling at Chase Center.
Curry has unsurprisingly been the star of the show, along with rookie forward Yaxel Lendeborg, during the Warriors' six-game winning streak, but their current momentum is even sweeter when you consider it hasn't required a huge workload from the 38-year-old franchise superstar.
Warriors are succesfully managing Stephen Curry while building win streak
Curry has been in MVP form over the winning streak, averaging a remarkable 32.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists while shooting 49% from the floor and a red-hot 48.3% from three-point range.
But what makes it even more impressive is that it's coming in just 30 minutes per game, while Curry was also able to rest against the L.A. Clippers on Sunday as Lendeborg and company handled business on the first night of a back-to-back.
Curry has been otherworldly even by his lofty standards, but Golden State are still crucially finding a way to manage his minutes to try and ensure that the two-time MVP's form can remain high through a long season.
Curry has yet to play more than 33 minutes in a game all season, and has logged more than 30 minutes just three times. He's also rested from two of the nine games, albeit the first one arguably cost the Warriors a win against the Suns in Phoenix.
Yaxel Lendeborg and depth is giving Stephen Curry much-needed rest
Lendeborg is the biggest factor in managing Curry's minutes effectively, along with valuable contributions from others up and down the roster as the Warriors quietly build a deep bench despite the ongoing absences of Jimmy Butler, Moses Moody and Kristaps Porzingis.
Kerr must have been nervous and thinking about bringing Curry (and Draymond Green) back into the game when the Heat cut the lead to 12 with five minutes remaining, prompting a timeout from the head coach and flashbacks to the home opener against the Memphis Grizzlies where they blew a 12-point lead with less than four minutes remaining.
But Kerr stuck with Lendeborg and the bench unit who rewarded him with an 11-3 run to seal the game. Curry wasn't needed, giving him an extra breather before preparing for the Orlando Magic on Saturday night.
The Warriors are finding a perfect balance right now in terms of managing Curry while also winning, giving themselves the best possible chance to make noise in the playoffs rather than just make up the numbers should they get there.
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