Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr spoke about Stephen Curry’s health following Friday’s 131-124 loss to the Detroit Pistons. “I think he’s okay. I don’t think it’s anything major, but we’ll have an update tomorrow,” Kerr said regarding Curry’s right knee soreness.
Kerr acknowledged the challenge of facing Detroit’s size and athleticism. “It’s really about combinations. Depending on who they have out there, we might be more comfortable with Draymond at the five. We wanted to go double big just to establish some physicality,” he explained.
The coach praised Gui Santos’ recent improvement. “He’s in a good rhythm. He’s feeling good and getting more opportunities to play. He’s very quick, able to get by his guy and score layups,” Kerr said, highlighting Santos’ offensive versatility.
Kerr discussed the team’s defensive adjustments after a rough start. “First quarter was pretty rough. We gave up 24 points in the paint and a lot of transition hoops. After the first quarter, the game settled down and we defended much better,” he said.
He reflected on the competitive effort in the second half despite the loss. “They got 45 in the first quarter, they were unstoppable. We did take care of transition much better in the second half and made it more difficult on them to score. I love the competitive fight of our guys,” Kerr noted.
On roster management, Kerr addressed playing time and rotations. “We’re playing so many guys, it’s really hard to play 12. Pat had eight minutes and was great. Gary had struggled a bit, so a reset helps him,” he said.
Kerr also touched on the mental side of losing a key player like Jimmy Butler midseason. “It’s no fun to see your name in a trade room or something, but that’s the job. Not all the time, but we mention it frequently. There are some difficult aspects,” he said.
Detroit’s Cade Cunningham led the way with 29 points and 11 assists, while Jalen Duren added 21 points and 13 rebounds. Golden State’s Curry scored 23 points before exiting with knee soreness, and Draymond Green posted 15 points, seven assists, seven rebounds, and his 10th technical foul.
The Warriors, now 27-23, host the 76ers on Tuesday, while the Pistons improve to 35-12 and will face Brooklyn on Sunday.
