Warriors need growth for Kerr’s Steph-Draymond plan to succeed originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Steve Kerr entered this season with a plan designed exclusively for Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, the oldest men on the Warriors roster. The coach saw an opportunity to delve into his schedule on Saturday evening in San Antonio.
As the Warriors took a 17-point lead over the Spurs in the final two minutes of the third quarter, Curry and Green watched from the bench. Kerr hoped to keep them there.
That’s his plan. If the Warriors play on consecutive nights, like in San Antonio, Curry and Green would either play one of the games or have their minutes cut. An 81-64 lead over the rebuilding Spurs played into Kerr’s plan.
Until Spurs broke it. With the bench fading and the Spurs closing within four with 8:06 remaining, Kerr was forced to call up Curry and Green for the final eight minutes.
Their rescue attempts were no match for the rampaging Spurs. The Warriors scored 13 points in the final 13:55, San Antonio responded with 40 and Golden State left for the airport with a 104-94 loss.
“A disappointing defeat because we were in control of the game halfway through the third and it felt like we were about to open the game up,” Kerr told reporters at Frost Bank Center. “But we didn’t do that.”
That 33-13 loss in the fourth told quite a story. The Warriors in the fourth shot 21.1 percent from the field, including 20 percent from beyond the arc. They committed four turnovers, of which San Antonio scored seven points.
Spurs, who had a shooting percentage of 41.9 percent, including 25.7 percent from deep, recovered through three quarters and scored 52.2/33.3 percent in the fourth. They outscored the Warriors 14-11 and committed only two turnovers.
Star center Victor Wembanyama dominated with 12 points, five assists and two blocks in 11 minutes.
“The way the third quarter ended was killer,” Kerr said. “We had a 15-point lead and the ball with 35 seconds [remaining]so we get a 2-for-1 and hopefully we go up 17 going into the fourth. And then we get a turnover and they score five in a row, so it’s a 10-point game going into the fourth. That was a big moment momentum-wise, and I thought they deserved it, as did the Spurs, by closing the quarter the way they did and then dominating the fourth.
Curry, who played 33 minutes a night earlier in a 112-108 win over the Pelicans in New Orleans, had an entirely forgettable night: 14 points on 5-of-16 shooting from the field, including 3-of-10 from deep. He played 24 minutes over three quarters, and his eight in the fourth were miserable: six points, six field goal attempts, two rebounds, three turnovers and a telling minus-14.
Curry, listed as “probable” on the injury report due to left knee bursitis, was productive enough to post a plus-18 through three quarters.
Green, who played for half an hour on Friday evening, was no better. The fourth quarter was a disaster. He went 1-of-2 from the line, grabbed two rebounds, recorded one assist and committed three fouls in seven minutes. He was minus-12 this quarter.
Although Green was scoreless through the first three quarters, he managed to be plus-12 through his first twenty minutes.
None of Golden State’s decorated vets had anything to offer.
‘I’m sure everyone is [tired]” said Andrew Wiggins, who scored a team-high 20 points. “If not mentally, then physically. If not physically, then mentally. One or the other.
“But that’s the NBA. That’s basketball.”
This was Golden State’s first back-to-back road set of the 2024-2025 NBA season. The next one is Jan. 9-10 in Detroit and Indiana, with three more in the second half. There is time to make the necessary adjustments.
“We’re still figuring some things out,” Wiggins said. “Today would be a perfect example, especially in the longer term, of executing and getting what we want, when we want it. But then they made it difficult for us.”
Golden State’s bench, without Jonathan Kuminga (illness) in San Antonio, was a force. It mostly played out over three quarters before withering late.
That and the Spurs’ late energy forced Kerr to deviate from his plan for Curry and Green. It’s still appropriate and will remain in place, but this night made it clear that the team’s celebrated depth must continue to grow.
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