Steve Kerr defends Stephen Curry's low minute total after loss - ESPN

MINNEAPOLIS — Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry watched from the bench as his team took blow after blow from the Minnesota Timberwolves in the fourth quarter of their eventual 114-110 loss on Sunday night.

He was ready and expecting to come back in, but he remained on the bench for 11 straight minutes.

After being subbed out of the game with four minutes left in the third quarter, Curry didn't re-enter until just over six minutes left in the fourth. He gave them a push, but the damage was already done.

«I want to play as many minutes as I'm fresh and able to, so I'm a little bit [surprised] knowing that they were going on a run,» said Curry, who ended up playing just 30 minutes. «Our lead was withering away.»

Curry scored 31 points on 9-of-21 shooting in his 30 minutes, including five 3-pointers. Golden State was plus-6 in the minutes Curry was on the court, and minus-10 when he wasn't.

But Warriors coach Steve Kerr isn't willing to blame this most recent loss on Curry's minutes.

«We can't expect to just ride Steph game after game after game,» Kerr said. «We've put the burden of this franchise on his shoulders for 15 years. We can't expect him to play 35 minutes… If you want to say that him playing 30 minutes instead of 32 is a difference between a win and a loss, I totally disagree with that. We're trying to win the game. And we're trying to keep him fresh, too.»

Against the Indiana Pacers on Friday — a game in which the Warriors struggled to find any urgency or connectivity — Curry played 35 minutes, including the entirety of the fourth quarter.

«I played the whole fourth quarter against Indiana and it didn't work out, this didn't work out [against Minnesota]. We've got to find somewhere in the middle,» Curry