Why isn't Stephen Curry playing? Warriors wave white flag after falling in 30-point second-half hole vs. Rockets

Daniel Chavkin

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Why isn't Stephen Curry playing? Warriors wave white flag after falling in 30-point second-half hole vs. Rockets image

Needing a win to keep their season alive, the Rockets dominated Game 5 against the Warriors, 131-116, allowing Houston to extend its season.

Houston played with intensity right out of the gate, scoring 40 points in the first quarter and taking a 27-point lead into halftime. Then, as the Rockets kept that lead in the second half, they forced Warriors coach Steve Kerr to make an unusual move.

Kerr emptied his bench midway through the third quarter as Golden State was facing a daunting deficit of, at one instance, 31 points. Instead of trying to put together a comeback, Kerr seemed to concede this game while already up 3-1, preparing for Game 6 on Friday night instead.

Golden State's backups did close the gap, as the Warriors outscored the Rockers 36-24 in the fourth quarter. Moses Moody ended the game as the Warriors' leading scorer with 22 points, while Pat Spencer chipped in for 11 and Kevin Knox had 14.

The game even got feisty in the fourth quarter between the Rockets starters and the Warriors backups. Alperen Sengun got into a scuffle with Trayce Jackson-Davis and Pat Spencer, leading to Spencer getting ejected from the game for head-butting the Rockets forward.

However, despite the Warriors' backups' best efforts, Houston took Game 5 to extend the series to a sixth game. Even as Golden State was making a comeback, Kerr only subbed in Buddy Hield, as the rest of the starters remained sidelined.

Here's a breakdown of Kerr's decision in Game 5.

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Why isn't Stephen Curry playing in Game 5?

Curry played 23 minutes on Wednesday night, beginning the game with his usual rotation. However, head coach Steve Kerr decided to bench Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler midway through the third quarter, as the Warriors faced a 30-point deficit.

This should allow Curry, who is 37, to not exhaust himself with a Game 6 coming in just two days on Friday night. The Warriors will return home to try and close out the series with a third home win.

After the game, Kerr explained that he spoke with Green and agreed to give the starters five minutes to make a run before pulling them. When Kerr made the move, Golden State was down 93-64 with 5:50 left in the third quarter.

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Stephen Curry stats

Here's how Curry performed during Game 5 vs. Houston.

  • Minutes: 23
  • Points: 13
  • Rebounds: 3
  • Assists: 7
  • FGA/FGM: 4/12
  • 3PA/3PM: 3/9
  • FGM/FGA: 2/3

Stephen Curry lowest-scoring playoff games

Curry's 13 points are not his typical output, but it is not his fewest points in a playoff game. In 2016, Curry scored just six in Game 4 of Golden State's first-round series vs. the Rockets. In fact, there have been five instances where Curry scored fewer points in a playoff game.

DateOpponentPoints
April 24, 2016Rockets6
May 14, 2013Spurs9
June 6, 2018Cavaliers11
June 2, 2016Cavaliers11
April 21, 2019Clippers12

Daniel Chavkin

Daniel Chavkin is a Digital Content Producer for The Sporting News. A 2018 graduate from the University of Maryland, he has previously written for Sports Illustrated, NBC Sports and NFLTradeRumors.com.