Steve Kerr said Stephen Curry’s return changed everything for the Golden State Warriors, even in a 117-116 loss to the Houston Rockets on Sunday night at Chase Center.
“I mean, obviously very different energy out there maybe than the last few games,” Kerr said. “We’re back in the mix. You know, we’re back in the fight with Steph.”
Curry scored 29 points in 26 minutes after missing 27 straight games with a right knee injury, and Kerr said the effect went far beyond the box score. “You can just feel it,” he said, pointing to the crowd, the team’s confidence, and the pace of the game.
Golden State nearly pulled out the win after Gary Payton II briefly put the Warriors ahead late, but Alperen Sengun’s go-ahead layup with 11 seconds left proved decisive. Kerr still liked the way his team handled the night overall.
“Ten turnovers, 34 assists. We played really well offensively,” Kerr said. “We just couldn’t get that stop there at the end.”
Kerr also singled out Curry’s shot volume and rhythm after the long layoff. “Steph had 20 shots in 26 minutes. You like it,” he said. “Steph looked amazing. He’s worked really hard for this.”
The coach said Curry’s gravity immediately changed the floor for everyone else. “It doesn’t take much for him to find his rhythm and his rhythm is also our rhythm,” Kerr said, adding that Curry’s movement created “a lot of easy layups” for teammates, including Payton.
Kerr praised the spacing Curry opens up as well, saying, “You pull a defender out near half court on pick and rolls with Steph and just opens up the middle of the floor.” He added that Curry “makes the game easier for everybody.”
Curry did not start, and Kerr explained that the decision was made with Curry through minute management. “He just decided he didn’t want to start and then sit for a long period of time,” Kerr said. “So he just said let’s play the last six minutes of each quarter.”
On the final possession, Kerr said the Warriors wanted Curry involved in the action but felt the spacing was off. “My gut is our spacing wasn’t great,” he said. “We wanted to give Steph a high screen.”
The Warriors fell to 36-42, but Kerr said the bigger takeaway was the emotional lift of having Curry back. “There’s a different confidence with our team,” he said. “He changes everything.”
