Stephen Curry centered his postgame remarks on the environment at Target Center after the Golden State Warriors defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 111-85 on Sunday night.
The game was played one day after a postponement tied to the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis man by federal immigration officers, with a pregame moment of silence held for Alex Pretti and a subdued crowd throughout the evening.
“It was definitely that,” Curry said when asked about the atmosphere. “I just I know there’s a lot of heavy hearts and you know a lot of things especially Minneapolis community.”
The Warriors guard said the team felt the weight of the situation upon arriving in the city. “You can kind of feel it when we got here whatever 2 days ago,” Curry said. “The protests that were going on downtown.”
Curry described watching the demonstrations firsthand and on television. “It was amazing to watch the turnout and peaceful protest and, you know, the unified voice that was here,” he said. “I was glued to the TV yesterday when we weren’t playing.”
He also acknowledged the league’s decision to postpone Saturday’s game. “There was no no need and no place to have a game yesterday,” Curry said. “It’s filtered over a little bit to the atmosphere today like you said, as it should.”
The former MVP noted that he recorded videos from his hotel room as protests passed nearby. “I got videos on my phone of it all the way down,” Curry said. “It was like three straight hours in 10 degree weather.”
When asked about internal discussions regarding whether the game should be played, Curry pointed to communication between teams and the league. “I talked to coach who was talking to obviously the the Wolves organization,” he said. “Allowing just supporting them and whatever decision made sense.”
On the court, Curry delivered 26 points, seven assists, and four steals after being listed as questionable due to knee soreness, helping Golden State move within a half-game of Minnesota for seventh place in the Western Conference.
Addressing his health, Curry explained the issue surfaced during a workout. “It was super weird,” he said. “It was something that I hadn’t felt before.”
He added that he expects to be available for the rematch on Monday. “If everything goes well,” Curry said. “Hopefully you respond well.”
Curry also cautioned against drawing conclusions from the lopsided result. “We’re not going to get lulled into thinking tonight is exactly who they are,” he said. “We got to understand who they are and who we’re trying to be.”
Both teams are scheduled to meet again Monday night in Minneapolis, with Golden State seeking another result that aligns with Curry’s message of focus and perspective.
