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USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

The Golden State Warriors produced a promising comeback after the sudden slump, securing three straight road wins. During the rough patch, Kerr faced criticism over his usage of Stephen Curry in the crucial moments. While the Dubs lost those games, the 9x NBA Champion once again faced the heat for the same reason, interestingly, after winning tonight’s game 115-97.

During the recent loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Kerr used Steph only under 30 minutes. Even though it was a close game, he prioritized the superstar’s workload over winning the game. However, tonight, in a blowout win against the Charlotte Hornets, he utilized Steph for more than 30 minutes. In response to this, an X user said, “So Steve Kerr plays Steph 29 mins in a close game literally last week.. now Steph plays 30+ against the hornets in a blowout.” 

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Many fans swarmed the social media comments, reacting to Kerr’s confusing choice. One of the fans claimed Curry’s extended involvement in the fourth quarter wasn’t exactly necessary with the well-present team.

A fan opened up a new perspective with his Stephen Curry analogy.

Another fan straight-up took a dig at Kerr for his contradicting decision.

Meanwhile, another user pointed out a lesser-known fact about Steph’s playing minutes in Charlotte.

Fans’ rage against Steve Kerr popped out only after his statement about Stephen Curry‘s workload. After the close loss against the Wolves, a reporter asked Kerr to underutilize the superstar in the fourth quarter. He said, “We’re trying to keep them around 30… Trying to get him as much rest as we can.” 

The Dubs had a 3-point lead, heading into the fourth quarter against the mighty Wolves. Unfortunately, the game didn’t go in the Warriors’ favor as they failed to make buckets. One of the questionable decisions of the game was Steph clocked back in around the 6th-minute mark in the last quarter.

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Why did Stephen Curry play more minutes tonight?

After a close finish to the first half, the Warriors had a dominant third quarter, expanding the lead to 18 points. While everyone expected to see less of Steph in the last quarter, he played till the 2-minute mark culminating 23 points, four 3-pointers, 4 assists, and one rebound while extending the Warriors’ lead to 20 in last quarter.

One of the main reasons for the superstar to play those extra minutes could be the unavailability of Jonathan Kuminga and Klay Thompson in tonight’s game. Moreover, Steph could also use this time to get back in the groove without having the pressure of making the buckets.

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Nevertheless, it is still unclear why Kerr opted to play more of Steph tonight. Why do you think Kerr opted to play Steph above 30 minutes tonight? Let us know in the comments below.

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