Warriors Injury Report: Why is Stephen Curry Not Playing vs Bucks? Coach Steve Kerr’s Latest Update on 2x MVP

The Golden State grabbed a vital respite last night against the charging Bulls. Carving their host pretty neat, Stephen Curry and Co. managed to defeat Chicago 140-131. Tonight, they are visiting the second-seeded Bucks of the Eastern Conference. While the Damian Lillard–Giannis Antetokounmpo duo has caught heat this season, they still loom large.

The Dubs are easily one of the teams that can stand strong against Milwaukee. But their recent struggles have the Warriors’ loyalists thinking momentarily before answering. The latest update on their saving grace, Curry, adds to their woes.

Stephen Curry has been carrying a lot of load

The latest report on the availability of their 4x champion has fans taking deep, slow breaths to calm themselves. The team has decided to rest their star player tonight due to the heavy load he’s been carrying since the season started.

Coach Kerr summarized Curry’s situation in the best possible way in the pre-game presser. Kerr said, “He’s been wiped out right now. He’s uhm, he’s been healthy basically all year and umm we’ve been relying on him heavily for a lot of games. He’s worn out.”

The Warriors head coach felt unfair about the load being placed on Curry right now. Draymond Green‘s suspension, with whom he had been co-captaining the team for over a decade, adds a lot more to Steph’s plate.

Kerr stressed the importance when he said that Steph “needs the night off,” not a want, may, or might. That alone shows just how much of a heavy load he’s been carrying around, they choose to hold him out on the second night of a back-to-back

The previous two games he missed were due to knee soreness. And the team lost both of them. So, tonight’s game will be the first Steph will miss on account of rest. Curry played for 35 minutes against the Bulls and he’s averaging 33.2 minutes per game this season. While tonight doesn’t seem like the best time to keep Steph out, a player’s health needs to be prioritized. Especially when the said player is the team’s best.

Watch This Story: When Did Stephen Curry Last Not Make a Three-Pointer In-Game?

Everybody is coming into this game with a clear idea of who the winner will be. With the Milwaukee Bucks at full strength and having just snapped their 2-game skid, there is no doubt that they will be looking to take complete advantage of a fumbling and short-handed Warriors. Currently holding the 12th position in the bottom five of the Western Conference at 18-20, can the team manage a Hail Mary?

Can the Warriors outlast the Bucks tonight?

With Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, and Draymond Green unavailable to take the lead, it’s natural for the squad to turn to Klay Thompson.

The other players who will miss Saturday night’s game are Draymond Green (reconditioning), Chris Paul (fractured hand), Gary Payton II (strained hamstring), and Moses Moody (strained calf), leaving the Warriors especially thin in the backcourt. Kerr said rookie Brandin Podziemski would start at point guard in Curry’s place, alongside Klay Thompson. Although not consistent, Thompson has erupted powerfully in the most unexpected circumstances. The Bulls’ game had Klay’s mark all over it.

Two-way players Lester Quiñones and/or Jerome Robinson could join the rotation off the bench. Robinson played four minutes Friday night in Chicago.

Having set the NBA record for the most three-pointers in a game (14) in 2018 in Chicago must have been a highly motivating factor for the other Splash Brother. Aside from him, the Warriors have their rising stars, Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski, who will see longer minutes. According to Burke, Wisconsin native Podz will take Curry’s place tonight.

The timing worked out well for Podziemski’s return to the starting lineup. He was a freshman at Illinois in November 2021, when the Illini came to Milwaukee to play Marquette. Podziemski also had a large group of family and friends at that game, but he didn’t play at all in Illinois’ 67-66 loss.

After his freshman season, Podziemski transferred to Santa Clara and quickly blossomed into an NBA prospect. His career is off to a promising start with the Warriors. Podziemski said, “I’m very excited. The last time, I had a lot of fans there and sat on the end of the bench the whole game… So just having the opportunity to play at the highest level you can play in the world… I used to watch Bucks games all the time… I think it’ll maybe be a little emotional.”

The skills, experience, and talent are all out there. All that’s missing, if we can call it that, is the fire. The fire that drove them to build the Golden State Warriors back to its former glory. The passion that would set the crowd on fire and the intensity that kept them on the edge of their seats. For the entirety of the game!

Though two of the key contributors to this are missing, the team is in desperate enough of a situation to pull every trick out of their hat. Even if they don’t do it for Steve Kerr, at least they will put up a fight worthy of the Warriors dynasty for Steph.

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