Steph Curry decision explained after Warriors loss to 76ers

The Golden State Warriors saw their five-game winning streak snapped in Philadelphia on Saturday night, falling 126-119 to a 76ers team missing its franchise centerpiece. But it wasn’t just the loss or Quentin Grimes’ unexpected 44-point eruption that left fans talking – Steph Curry’s playing time in the second half raised some serious questions.

Why was Curry’s time limited?

You expect to see Curry out there when the game’s hanging in the balance, especially against a team that had just lost nine straight and is adjusting to life without Joel Embiid. Yet, as the Warriors clawed back from 15 down and pulled within a point in the fourth quarter, Curry wasn’t on the floor as much as usual. The decision to limit his minutes sparked immediate debate, with fans and analysts wondering if something was wrong or if head coach Steve Kerr was overthinking the rotation.

It’s not like Curry didn’t produce. He led the Warriors with 29 points and 13 assists, delivering his first dunk in more than six years, just for fun – and not something he’ll be repeating. That rare moment of aerial ambition came during a crucial fourth-quarter push, part of a 9-0 run that nearly flipped the game. But while Curry’s transition slam was a highlight, his extended time on the bench became a side story.

Curry minutes for the long-term

After the game, Kerr addressed the elephant in the room: why was Curry’s second-half workload lighter than many had expected? The answer was frustratingly simple – the schedule.

“We got three games in four nights,” Kerr said, “I can’t play him 40 minutes. I don’t really want to play him much more than 34, 35, but I think he ended up with around 36 tonight. We shortened his rest in the second half because we were hanging in there, but we’re thinking long-term.”

The balancing act between keeping Curry fresh for the season and maximizing his impact in close games is nothing new. What made this one sting was the context - a winnable game against a struggling team, on a night when the Warriors were already missing Jimmy Butler, who sat out with back tightness.

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