Stephen Curry will miss Tuesday night’s marquee matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks to rest his back. Shortly after news of Curry sitting out circulated, he was officially listed as out on the NBA’s 4:30 p.m. ET injury report.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters after Monday’s 114-105 defeat to the Denver Nuggets that Curry was “exhausted” and indicated that sitting out on Tuesday was a possibility.
“He’s tired. Steph’s been carrying us for a month. He’s amazing,” Kerr said. “We gotta get him some rest. You can see it. He doesn’t have his energy right now.”
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Curry, 37, played 36 minutes against the Nuggets, shooting 6-of-21 (4-of-14 on 3-pointers) and scoring 20 points. Jimmy Butler III led the Warriors with 23 points, followed by 18 from Gary Payton II.
In his past five games, Curry has shot 37% (32-of-86) from the floor and 32% (19-of-59) on 3s. So far in March, he’s averaging 25.7 points (shooting 38% on 3s) and 6.7 assists. But he was spectacular in February, scoring 30.7 points per game and shouldering the offense, as Kerr mentioned.
“We try to take the pressure off him as much as we can,” Payton said, via the Associated Press. “He has a guy on his hip 48 minutes of the game. I’m pretty sure he’s a little gassed.”
For the season, Curry is averaging 24.3 points, his lowest total in five years. His 39% 3-point shooting is also lower than it’s been during the past three seasons.
