After missing 11 games due to a knee injury, Stephen Curry is back in the lineup for the Golden State Warriors. In the first half of the season, Curry has been playing well, averaging nearly 30 points per game. He is also averaging a career high in fourth-quarter points.
Ty Jerome
After missing 11 games, Ty Jerome and Stephen Curry are back in the lineup for the Golden State Warriors. Combined, the duo is averaging 10.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game.
With Curry sidelined since December, Jerome has stepped up in his absence. In his last five games, he has scored in double figures and posted a season-high assist total. This has helped the Warriors to a 6-4 record, which is the best in the NBA.
The veteran guard is in his fourth NBA season and was a starter at Virginia. He is a capable outside shooter and has always been a crafty ball handler.
Despite being a little sluggish, Jerome has adapted to his role with the Warriors. Earlier this month, he recorded 17 points in a win over the Jazz. And he played a key role in the Warriors’ comeback against Portland Trail Blazers.
Jerome is averaging 11.4 points and 3.8 assists in the past five games. His 3-point shooting is also solid, shooting 38.2% from beyond the arc.
However, he isn’t fast or a great defender. Still, he’s been steady and dependable on the backcourt for the Warriors. When Curry is healthy, he’ll continue to play in a limited role. During the postseason, Jerome could be a candidate to fill in the void left by Dontario DiVincenzo.
Jerome isn’t quite ready to be on the Warriors roster for the remainder of the season. He’ll need to adjust to his new role. But he could still earn a spot. If he can make a strong case, it’s possible that he could earn an NBA roster spot.
It’s also possible that Jerome’s NBA career is over. Despite his recent good performances, he’s unlikely to be signed by the Warriors for the rest of the season.
Jordan Poole
After missing the last 11 games, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry is back in the lineup for the first time since December. Having missed nearly a month, Curry appears to be ready to return to the court, but will his workload be heavy?
Although Curry’s absence has been a rough one for the Warriors, the defending champions are still on track to finish the season even. The team is 6-5 without the superstar, but they have a chance to make up some ground in the Western Conference.
Despite missing two of their last five games, the Warriors are still in the eighth spot in the West, and they can take advantage of their homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs. However, they need to improve their game in the next few weeks to make the playoffs.
Curry was having an MVP-caliber season before he sustained a left shoulder subluxation in December. He was averaging 30 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, and was a candidate for the league’s Most Valuable Player award.
In Curry’s absence, Jordan Poole has taken over the scoring role. In his past eleven games, the 24-year-old has averaged 27.9 points and 4.1 assists.
During the time that Curry has been out, Poole has been the lone bright spot for the Warriors. But he has also been slowed by increased attention from opposing defenses. As a result, he has been prone to turnovers.
Curry’s return will be a huge boost for the Warriors, and it will allow the other players to get used to having his presence. While it is possible that he will play in his usual 34.4 minutes, that is unlikely.
Golden State’s ranking in fourth-quarter points per game
The Golden State Warriors are on a five-game road trip. They have lost three straight games against the Miami Heat. However, in the third quarter, the Warriors outscored their opponent 33-25. In the fourth quarter, the Golden State sputtered to a four-point loss.
Curry has been a clutch performer for the Warriors all season. He leads the NBA in fourth-quarter points per game with 141. In fact, he has played more clutch minutes in the past year than anyone else.
The stat is a bit trickier to quantify. However, if you look at the number of possessions each player spent in the fourth quarter, you’ll see that Stephen Curry has been the best fourth-quarter scorer in the league.
To be more specific, Curry’s 141 point output in 148 minutes is the sixth best in the NBA. It’s worth noting that Curry’s efficiency was greater than that of any guard other than Chris Paul.
Another notable statistic is that Curry’s average point-per-possession was a league-leading 37.4. In addition, his three-point shooting percentage was more than three points higher than the next best shooter.
Despite all of the good things that the Warriors are doing, they are still struggling to find workable units. This has been particularly true of the second unit. Fortunately for Kerr, he has some solid two-way players in Ty Jerome and Kevon Looney.
But the Warriors are still a long way off from the elite basketball team that they were last year. There are a lot of fundamental game-plan breakdowns that plague the Warriors. And the Warriors still have a tough time defending split cuts.
For instance, they are allowing opponents to shoot 36.4 percent from beyond the arc. That’s 5.6 points better than Oklahoma City.
Curry’s averages in his absence
One of the biggest reasons for the Golden State Warriors’ failure to win their fifth championship in the last five seasons was the absence of Curry in the lineup. Curry is a two-time MVP and one of the league’s all-time greats. But in his absence, the Warriors have fallen on harder times. They’ve lost four of their last five games by an average of 10.5 points.
With Curry on the court, the Warriors were averaging 111.9 points per 100 possessions. This ranked third in the NBA behind only Danny Green and Kyrie Irving. It was also the first time in franchise history that the Warriors averaged over 100 points in a single game.
In the playoffs, Curry was an absolute force. He scored 31 three-pointers in the series, which is an all-time high for him. During the playoffs, he was the only unanimous MVP selection.
Even though he’s missed a large chunk of the season, Curry still ranks as the best player in the NBA. His usage rate is 33.6 percent higher when he’s on the floor compared to when he’s on the bench. And his 66.8 TS% is more than double that of Kelly Oubre Jr.
He’s also averaging a whopping 6.6 rebounds. That’s the highest he’s ever been, and he’s on track to set a new record in the coming seasons.
His 5.2 three-pointers a game are an all-time high for him. His 87th percentile three-point field goal percentage is more than a step above his previous career-high.
When Steph was on the court, the Warriors’ point differential in the NBA Finals was plus-7.6. Without him, the Warriors’ point differential was minus-6.2.
Final thoughts
Curry has been one of the best players in the game, but he’s also been asked to carry a lot of weight in a playoff series. But he’s shown that he can handle it. He’s not just a great shooter, but a great leader.
Steph Curry is the reigning MVP of the Golden State Warriors, but he’s had his share of trouble in the playoffs. Whether it was a foot injury in Game 3, or the fact that he’s been a little underused this postseason, there are many things that he’s been criticized for.
For a long time, Curry was considered a potential Finals MVP. After averaging 30 points per game and averaging 6.8 assists, Curry looked like he was poised to claim the honor.
But after Game 1, and now Game 4, Curry has shown that he’s in need of a bit more help offensively. And he’s not the only player to have this problem. Several other players have seen their offensive efficiency slip over the course of a series.
Even if Curry can’t win the title, he’s shown that he can lead his team to a championship in the playoffs. Curry’s game is so good that he’s even been copied by several teams.
Curry’s usage rate is now up to 34.6%, and he’s been shooting 50% overall. The Warriors are also up to 3-16 away from home, but he’s still averaging 30.0 points and 6.6 rebounds.
If Golden State wants to win a fourth championship in eight years, they’ll need to win at least two games in the next three days. They’re currently 2-1 behind Boston in the series. However, if the Celtics win their last two games, they’ll clinch a 3-2 series lead.
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The Golden State Warriors believed Stephen Curry’s return would be exactly what they needed to continue the momentum they had started on their homestand without him going into Tuesday night’s game.
They had their finest player back at last. For the first time since December 3, their starting lineup, which consists of the league’s top five players, was complete. They were playing the faltering, undermanned Phoenix Suns.
Instead, the Warriors lost to the Suns 125-113, looking like a club that has not changed much since Curry suffered a left shoulder subluxation.
Golden State guard Klay Thompson said, “I think we definitely relaxed a little bit more than we should have with Steph and [Andrew Wiggins] returning.” “We believed that since they showed up, we would just get the dub.”
But it was clear that Curry and Wiggins both have dust to shake off.
Curry, who missed 11 games after getting hurt on December 14, had a shooting sleeve covering his left arm from shoulder to wrist. Physically, he claimed, he handled the game well and didn’t think about his shoulder while playing, which was essential for him to do in order to be cleared to participate.
While Curry played 31 minutes Tuesday night, he acknowledged that playing with a minute cap had an impact on his ability to rediscover his flow. On Friday, Curry had said that he didn’t believe his conditioning had suffered too much during his hiatus.
He claimed there was some pressure to restore his form in a limited amount of time because he knew he would only play for specific periods of time. He tried to balance this pressure while playing in line with the game’s flow.
Curry stated it depends on how much rust you have and how quickly you can catch up to the game’s pace. “It was nice to be out there, sprinting with our guys, in the first quarter. I thought I got stronger as the game progressed. The game became more intense in the fourth. We were playing in an effort to recover and make some plays. Once more, I felt like myself.”
16 of Curry’s 24 points came in the final frame. He made 8 of 22 shots from the field, including 5 of 15 threes.
In his second game back after recovering from an adductor strain and subsequent injury, Wiggins scored 10 points, but he did it on just 5-of-16 shooting and lacked the ferocity and rhythm he had before his layoff.
In the first quarter, Thompson scored 14 of his first 29 points of the game before slowing down. Jordan Poole scored 27 points in his first game since Dec. 3 while playing off the bench.
Curry made three straight 3-pointers with just over four minutes left in the contest to give the Warriors new life. The Warriors had fallen down by as much as 27 points when, three minutes later, a Poole layup, a stop, a Poole 3-pointer, and another stop brought them within six points.
The Suns now had a three-possession lead as Curry was fouled right after the break, sending Damion Lee to the line. Those free throws turned out to be the fatal blow.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said, “I’m hoping that fourth quarter was the team that I have come to know, love, and appreciate. But we need to demonstrate in the first quarter, not the fourth.
\ Curry cited the fourth quarter as an example of the Warriors’ “level of attention, of teamwork, toughness, high IQ basketball” and what they know is required to succeed.
However, the Warriors’ offense was disorganized and their defense was almost nonexistent during the opening three quarters. Phoenix opened the game with a 10-0 run to conclude the first quarter, and by halftime, had a 14-point lead despite being missing Devin Booker, Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton, Cameron Johnson, and Cameron Payne.
I need to do a better job of delivering the same slap in the face that Phoenix delivered us to [the Warriors], Kerr said. “One team, like Phoenix, has the advantage emotionally and they immediately set the tone. All it takes is that.”
No matter how healthy their roster is or how thin their opponent’s is, Kerr and Thompson agreed that Tuesday’s game needed to serve as a reminder to the Warriors that there are no easy games in the NBA.
You need to be woken up, Kerr remarked. “You need to comprehend the degree of dedication required to win a title to each other and to the game.”
This is a reminder to the Warriors’ veterans who have won numerous titles as well as to their younger players and two-way guys, who Kerr noted did not play against Phoenix.
There have been other reminders of this, previous games after which the Warriors have expressed a similar sentiment: that they understand they are not living up to their standard. The Warriors just played their 41st game of the season, which is the official halfway point.
Curry remarked, “We’ve been talking about it for a while. “You have to finish it eventually, or the time will run out. There are 41 games left for us to figure it out, or we won’t.”
