Kerr: Guards’ slump ‘a blip’
Coach cites some rushed shots, not Durant’s absence.
NEW YORK — Stephen Curry screamed, turned and kicked the nearby wall, disgusted by another missed jumper. It was just practice and most of his other shots went in, so there was little reason for concern.
But if he keeps misfiring in games and the Golden State Warriors keep losing them, there might be.
With Curry in a rare shooti n g s l u mp a n d t h e Warriors on an even rarer losing streak, the NBA leaders are facing adversit y — at least by their standards — as they visit the New York Knicks today.
C u r r y i s 4 f o r 3 1 f r o m 3-point range through three games of the Warriors’ road trip, with most of the last two games coming after Kevin Durant was injured.
The Warriors found a way to win the opener in Philadelphia — when Curry missed all 11 attempts behind the arc — but they then dropped games in Washington and Chicago to end their NBA-record streak of regular-season games without consecutive losses at 146.
“We haven’t lost two in a row in a long time obviously, and we’ve been in a rut on this trip in general,” coach Steve Kerr said after practice Saturday at a court in the Manhattan building where the players’ union is headquartered.
“We’re not making shots, but we’re also well aware that this is just a blip on the radar screen. We’ll be fine and I’m not concerned at all. We just have to play better.”
Klay Thompson i s also strug gling, he and Curry really dried up Thursday, going a combined 3 for 22 on 3-pointers in a 94-87 loss in Chic ago. But the Warriors don’t seem stressed and don’t think defenses are crowding the guards more than normal without having to worry about Durant.
“We’ve had plenty of openings and c reating decent shots, just haven’t gone in in the last three games,” Curry said.
“But that happens as you go through a long season, you just have to fight through it and not let it affect how you play.
“Obviously if we make a couple more shots in Chicago the game’s a little different. Philly it was a struggle but we found a way to win, so just got to stay on the mission of letting the offense create good things for us and still have confidence to knock down shots.”
The Warriors were held to their lowest point total of the season Thursday. Curry and Thompson were a combined 15 of 49 from the field.
Those are performances Golden State can’t afford without Durant, its leading scorer, who is lost for at least four weeks with a knee injury.
C u r r y s e e med t o r u sh some shots late in the last loss, and he’s trying to be more aggressive in Durant’s absence without changing the way the Warriors play. Kerr said Curry and Thompson — who is 7 for 33 behind the arc on the trip — had plenty of space to shoot.
“The only thing that jumps out on tape is that they’re taking some quick ones that we could probably move the ball a little bit more and get better shots,” Kerr said.
“We’re still getting good shots. I think we can get great shots if we move it a little better.”
Frank Mason scored 27 points as the Jayhawks (28-3, 16-2 Big 12) held off the Cowboys (20-11, 9-9). Mason, the Big 12’s leading scorer, also had nine assists and eight rebounds. Josh Jackson had 17 points and nine rebounds, and Devonte’ Graham added 13 points for the Jayhawks, who won their eighth straight overall and snapped a three-game skid in Stillwater, Okla. Jeffrey Carroll scored a career-high 27 points and Jawun Evans added 22 points and a career-best 15 assists for Oklahoma State.
Josh Hart scored 21 points, including back-to-back 3-pointers with seven minutes left that put the game out of reach, as the Wildcats (28-3, 15-3 Big East) routed the Hoyas (14-17, 5-13). Hart also had six rebounds, four assists and three steals to lead Villanova to its fifth consecutive victory against Georgetown — tying the longest streak in the history of the rivalry. Late Late
Joel Berry II scored 28 points — including a critical late-game burst of seven straight — as the Tar Heels (26-6, 14-4) held off the Blue Devils (23-8, 11-7). Isaiah Hicks added 21 points for North Carolina in a game with 24 lead changes and 14 ties. Luke Kennard finished with 28 points for Duke.
Dillon Brooks had 25 points as the Ducks (27-4, 16-2) earned a share of the Pac-12 title with their victory over the Beavers (5-26, 1-17). Jordan Bell added 13 points and 10 rebounds for Oregon, which won its second straight conference title. The Ducks get the top seed at the Pac-12 Tournament next week, and their 16 conference victories represent the most in school history.
Allonzo Trier scored 19 points and guard Rawle Alkins had 15 rebounds as the Wildcats (27-4, 16-2) pulled away from the Sun Devils (14-17, 7-11) and clinched a share of the Pac-12 regular-season title with Oregon. Lauri Markkanen had 10 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots for Arizona, which swept the season series.