Curry and the Warriors Shimmy to Another Loss

Photo Credit: Lachlan Cunningham, Getty Images

In a play beautifully summing up the Warriors’ underwhelming season, Stephen Curry, against the Memphis Grizzlies on January 15th, blew by his defender using his impeccable handles and cashed in on a layup. Falling to the ground, Curry decided to celebrate his two-pointer by shimmying instead of getting to his feet and playing defense for the Grizzlies’ next possession.

Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports

Though Curry’s handles and floater blew up on social media soon after the play, the only accent he left on the game was a -2 plus/minus according to ESPN, signifying that the Grizzlies scored two more points than the Warriors when Curry was on the court. Furthermore, the fully-healthy Warriors(18-22) were dealt a devastating loss to the Grizzlies(15-25) by a score of 107-116, though the Grizzlies were playing without starters Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and 2022 Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart.

Photo Credit: Brandon Dill, AP

The Warriors last had a positive record on December 23rd after beating the struggling Portland Trail Blazers. Since then, Steve Kerr’s crew has gone 3-8, with an average point differential of -7.5, according to Pro Basketball Reference. Though the Warriors did play against top-tier teams such as the Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, and Milwaukee Bucks, a team bolstering the talent the Warriors’ roster contains is expected to pick up victories against teams like the aforementioned ones. 

The Warriors currently sit at the 12th position in the West, with no end to their offensive and defensive woes in sight.