Steph Curry Addresses Warriors’ Decision to Bench Him in Overtime

Guard Stephen Curry was on his way to 41 points for the Golden State Warriors against the Orlando Magic on Saturday night, and after he scored 12 points in the final 2:21 of regulation, most people expected to see him on the floor when overtime started.

Head coach Steve Kerr had other plans, so Curry and forward Draymond Green watched the first part of overtime from the bench.

The game was tied at 110 when overtime began at Chase Center, and Kerr put guard Brandon Williams and forward Georges Niang in for Curry and Green.

Center Charles Bassey scored the first four points of the period, and Golden State was still in front when Curry and Green came back in with 3:48 left. Curry then made a three-point play with 1:38 left that put the Warriors ahead for good, and they won 126-119 for their seventh straight win.

ESPN's Anthony Slater described the move as Kerr protecting Curry's minutes at this stage of his career, and Curry still finished with a season-high 35:44 on the floor.

He went 13-for-19 from the field and 10-for-10 at the free-throw line.

Curry admitted that he and Green were frustrated, saying the two of them had a reaction because they are competitors who want to be out there, but he wanted the bench players to know it was not about them, and he said as much after the game, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

"The conversation and energy was more frustration for us, not doubt in the unit going out there. So we wanted to make sure they knew that, because they've been playing well all year," Curry said.

The Chronicle also reported that Curry spoke to the team in the locker room afterward to explain how much he trusts the bench players.

I like what Kerr did here, even if it looked strange in the moment, because Curry is 38 and in his 18th season, he has already sat out two games this year, one for injury management and one to rest on a back-to-back, and the Warriors have a long way to go, so saving even a minute or two in a game like this helps, especially when the bench proves it can handle the job.

That trust in the reserves is a big reason this streak has lasted.

Rookie forward Yaxel Lendeborg scored 23 points, and the bench outscored Orlando's bench in a game where the grit the Warriors showed was the story of the night.

With center Kristaps Porzingis stepping away from the team for health reasons, Golden State needs those young players and role players ready at all times.

After an 0-3 start, the Warriors are now 7-3 and one game out of first place in the West. They host New Orleans on Monday before a trip to Houston on Wednesday, and Kerr will likely keep managing Curry's workload along the way.

If moments like this keep Curry fresh for April and May, nobody in Golden State will complain about 72 seconds on the bench in November.