“I just got to play better,” Curry said, reflecting on a challenging night where he was outperformed by LeBron James in a highly anticipated matchup. The Golden State Warriors’ star struggled, finishing with just 13 points on a rough 4-for-17 shooting. Curry didn’t score a single point in the second half. Meanwhile, LeBron was out there balling with ease. Teaming up with Davis, he dropped 25 points, 12 assists, and grabbed five boards.

Davis dominated the shorthanded Warriors, finishing with 36 points and 13 rebounds as the Lakers maintained a solid lead throughout the second half. While seven Warriors reached double digits, Curry’s off night couldn’t have come at a worse time. The Lakers’ defense made a key impact by keeping Curry scoreless in the second half, which was crucial to their win. When Curry struggles like this, the entire dynamic shifts and the Warriors couldn’t recover from it.

The second half was a real struggle for Curry: he finished with zero points, missing all eight of his field goal attempts and all four of his threes.

LeBron explained how the Lakers were able to slow down  Curry after the game, saying, “Just hope that he missed. It’s Steph, man. You just hope that he miss. Put bodies in front of him, and you just hope that he miss.” Despite Curry’s best efforts, he only managed to score 13 points, with one rebound, nine assists, and two steals in 32 minutes.

His shooting was way off—just 4 for 17 from the field and 2 for 9 from beyond the arc. It is important to note that Steph has been having issues with his right thumb, but he doesn’t blame his thumb.

Lakers dominate Curry in Warriors takedown

Stephen Curry’s thumb may be bothering him, but he’s not using it as an excuse after a tough loss to LeBron and the Lakers. In a game where he shot just 4-for-17, Curry was held scoreless in the second half. He finished with 13 points and nine assists. “It sucks, but it’s not an excuse for anything,” Curry said. “Got to play through it. I went 8-for-8 with it [against the Sixers]. It’s just something that has been lingering to the point that it gets hit every once in a while.”

Thumb isn’t the only issue the 4x champion has been suffering from. There’s also bilateral knee tendinitis which the 36-year-old has been dealing with. The Warriors‘ star has continued playing through the injuries, noting that it’s become part of his routine.

The Lakers’ defense didn’t make it any easier. They held the 2x MVP to 1-for-9 shooting on contested shots, including 0-for-5 from deep. “Obviously Steph didn’t shoot it well,” said Lakers center Anthony Davis, who had 36 points and 13 rebounds. “But I think a lot of that was on us — our guards … constantly getting into the ball, making it tough on him. So I think everybody played a part of the Steph Curry defense that we tried to play on him tonight.”

The Warriors’ season is hanging by a thread, with important games ahead and Curry dealing with his thumb and knee. “It’s trending in the right direction,” Curry said of his knees. “It’s still something you got to stick with the maintenance and all that type of stuff. For me to play, it checked all the boxes.” Despite the challenges, Curry isn’t backing down. He’ll keep pushing forward, hoping it clears up soon.