Curry has tough self-reflection after Warriors lose to depleted Pacers.
The Golden State Warriors came into their road matchup Saturday night expecting to take care of business against a struggling Indiana team, but instead walked away with an ugly 114-109 loss that dropped them to 4-3.
Following the defeat, Stephen Curry didn't make excuses and owned his role in the mess.
"This is one of those look in the mirror (type games). There are parts of the game I made it too hard on all of us," Curry told reporters after the loss, via Anthony Slater of ESPN.
Warriors Blow Late Lead Against Desperate Pacers
The loss stings even more when you consider who the Warriors were playing.
Indiana entered the game at 0-5, missing key pieces across their lineup. Two-time All-Star Tyrese Haliburton is out for the season with a torn Achilles, and Bennedict Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard, Obi Toppin, and T.J. McConnell all sat out as well.
Golden State looked like they had things under control, building a 58-53 halftime lead behind Curry's 18 first-half points. They even pushed their lead to 11 early in the fourth quarter, but then everything fell apart.
The Pacers closed the game on a stunning 23-5 run over the final six minutes as Aaron Nesmith went off for a career-high 31 points on 10-of-19 shooting. Pascal Siakam added 27 points, hitting a dagger three-pointer with 37 seconds left, and two-way player Quenton Jackson scored 25 points and 10 assists in a breakthrough performance.
Curry's Rough Night
For Curry, the stats tell a tough story, as he finished with 24 points but needed 23 shots to get there, going just 8-of-23 from the field and 4-of-16 from three-point range. He also turned the ball over five times and was a minus-21 for the game, so the Warriors were actually better with him on the bench.
"I've got to be better, just being more decisive. More aggressive. Even not to shoot, but to playmake and get everybody organized," Curry added in his postgame comments.
Jimmy Butler chipped in 20 points, while Jonathan Kuminga added 17 and Brandin Podziemski scored 16, but poor shooting — 27.3 percent from three as a team on 12-of-44 — and 16 turnovers that led to 17 Pacers points proved too much to overcome.
The Warriors will look to bounce back Tuesday when they host the Phoenix Suns at Chase Center.
With a stretch of winnable games ahead, this is the perfect chance to regain their early-season form, but as Curry made clear, it starts with honest self-reflection and better habits throughout 48 minutes.