Finally, something to cheer about for the Warriors. After starting the new year strong with two straight wins, their momentum took a hit once again when they lost the last two games. And another loss tonight could have really shattered their confidence. Fortunately, Steve Kerr’s squad was able to get the job done against the Pistons despite Stephen Curry’s struggles to get the ball in the basket. Thanks to an impressive performance by Buddy Hield. But turns out, Steph was struggling because of an “annoying” injury.

Following his 17-point performance on an abysmal 5 of 21 shooting, Curry revealed that he has been playing with a sprained thumb, “Four games ago, it got whacked. And it got whacked in the second quarter tonight.” But understanding that his team needs him, Steph is trying to balance his recovery while avoiding sitting out, “I’ll be fine. Play through it, make and miss shots. It’s just one of those annoying things.”

When asked if the sprained thumb affected him tonight, he said with a smile, “Of course it was. I shot five for 21.” Thankfully, Hield was there to save the day as he went off for a team-high 19 points and made five deep-range shots. Even Steph acknowledged his contribution postgame, “The way Buddy played, the way Gui came in and helped us, the way Tune (Kevon Looney) came in and helped us, those are the games that are more rewarding cause that’s how you win in the league.”

Yes, Steph made a shocking confession that he prefers such joint effort wins over him single-handedly carrying the team to victory. “I’d rather have nights like tonight, for sure. If I make a couple more shots, it might be a smoother sailing down the stretch. But the fact that we were controlling the entire momentum of the game from start to finish… Make or miss shots is whatever.” Maybe Steph is ready to take an occasional backseat while his teammates take charge like they did tonight.

No Warriors player crossed 20 points but everyone went home a winner

Since Klay Thompson’s departure, Steph has become somewhat of a lone wolf for the Warriors. And even his numbers have dropped this season because of age, averaging only 22.8 points. Sure, he still has Draymond Green to rely on. But Green is not the scorer that Klay was. That’s the reason Mike Dunleavy added Buddy Hield, so that they could get a replacement for Klay, especially in the shooting department. Although Buddy has not been highly consistent, he proved tonight that he could help them win when he gets going.

As Steph mentioned, Gui Santos and Kevon Looney also made a major contribution, combining for 21 points off the bench. Moreover, six players scored in double-digits and every player who stepped on the floor added a point to the board. And this team effort helped the Warriors win despite Steph’s bad shooting night. Maybe that’s exactly what they need to turn their season around. Imagine every player playing like they did tonight while Steph is scoring at a high clip. It could get the Warriors back on track once again, and that’s what Steph is aiming for. What are your thoughts?