MY ACCOUNT
Stephen Curry acknowledges things are “rough right now” for the Golden State Warriors, with time running out to fix their form before the playoffs as rival superstars continue to capitalise.
LeBron James put up 56 points as the Los Angeles Lakers handed the Warriors their fourth straight loss and eighth in 10 games.
The Warriors had won nine in a row prior to that run but have now slipped to 43-21 and third place in the West.
Saturday’s 124-116 defeat followed a familiar, frustrating theme, according to Curry, whose 30 points paled next to James’ efforts.
His 56 were the most by any opposition player against the Warriors this season, meaning three of the top four such performances have come in their past three games.
Luka Doncic had 41 for the Dallas Mavericks against the Warriors, while Karl-Anthony Towns scored 39 for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“Obviously LeBron played amazing, he hit some tough shots and we’ve got to acknowledge that, for sure, but we still had some self-inflicted wounds,” Curry said.
“That’s tough when you’re trying to get out of a hole. We’re bringing the right energy, it’s just IQ, effort plays, simple breakdowns and obviously boxing out.
“It’s rough right now. Keeping it plain and simple: it’s rough.
“We’ve got to figure out how to claw our way out, because as you’ve seen the last four games, it’s self-inflicted wounds but also guys are playing with confidence on the other end and coming at us, having not career nights but performances that are unlike the previous five games or whatever.
“You’re coming in and you’re giving teams confidence as well. We’ve got to figure that out.”
Two-time MVP Curry accepted: “Right now, if the playoffs started tomorrow, we’d be in some trouble.”
He added: “We know we’ve shown who we are, in terms of how we started the season. I feel like we can get back to that – that’s the confidence that has to remain – but we cannot give in to this losing spirit of just finding different ways to lose basketball games.
“The clock will tick out on you and you’ll go into the summer thinking what could have been, should have been, have regrets. I don’t want to let us get into that vibe.
“What are there, 18 games left? We have to figure out how to turn things around pretty quick.”
