After the Golden State Warriors’ 127-123 defeat at Chase Center against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday, Stephen Curry spoke candidly about the team’s struggles.
“Feeling like you played well enough to win, but had nothing to show for it,” Curry said. He pointed to untimely defensive lapses and rebounding struggles as key factors.
Curry highlighted the difficulty of overcoming a 20-rebound deficit, noting, “Pretty much perfect basketball on the other end, but it’s still crazy that we were a one possession game with, you know, whatever it was a minute and a half with that type of discrepancy.” He emphasized the importance of consistent defense, saying, “We know we’re small out there at times, but we got to play bigger than we are.”
Addressing the Warriors’ defensive inconsistency this season, Curry acknowledged, “We’ve had some bright spots, some games that we’ve shown we could do it for 48 minutes, and we’ve had some duds. Even tonight, we had ebbs and flows.” He stressed the need for mental focus and discipline to prevent turnovers and easy baskets.
Curry also reflected on the team’s fourth-quarter unraveling, stating, “We felt like we did enough to win in the middle or beginning to the middle of the fourth. It started to kind of unravel a little bit, but there are clearly things that we can do better as a team to maintain that level.” He emphasized proper positioning, understanding opponents’ tendencies, and smarter play on both ends of the floor.
Looking ahead to the Warriors’ upcoming schedule, Curry noted the value of practice and film study. “Practice helps for sure. You’ve got to be able to sit and watch film, then go out and drill some stuff…getting those guys together to get comfortable and better chemistry, understanding what we’re doing,” he said.
On a lighter note, Curry touched on his sneaker choices, explaining, “I’m just having fun…paying tribute to certain guys, different cities, different themes…It’s the first time I’ve worn something other than my own shoes, but I still love my shoes, too.”
The Warriors fell to 9-9 overall and 1-2 in NBA Cup play with the loss, while the Trail Blazers improved to 7-9 and 2-1. Golden State will host the Utah Jazz on Monday as they look to rebound from the third straight defeat.
