Stephen Curry was hot on the court in recent games but he was only hot at the officials and the opposing coach on Sunday. After scoring 125 points combined in wins over the Grizzlies, Lakers and Nuggets, the Warriors superstar had more turnovers (four) than points (three) in the Rockets’ 106-96 win, Anthony Slater of The Athletic notes.
While heading to the locker room at halftime, Curry seemed frustrated about the way he was being defended. He crossed paths with Houston coach Ime Udoka, who said something to Curry that led to a terse exchange.
“When people start complaining about foul calls or crying about physicality, you’ve done your job,” Udoka said. “That’s the first step in winning the battle. So I told my team, when this team starts crying about it, up the intensity, up the aggressiveness, and make the refs adjust to you.”
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- The Kings owe the Hawks a first-rounder which is top-12 protected in this year’s draft. It’s still very much uncertain whether that pick will be conveyed, given Sacramento’s current status as a play-in team. James Ham of The Kings Beat takes an in-depth look at the scenarios where the Kings might retain the pick.
- Kings forward Jake LaRavia is progressing through his rehab for what is now being called an incomplete scaphoid fracture of his left thumb, Ham tweets. LaRavia has been cleared for light on-court workouts. LaRavia has been sidelined since March 25. He averaged 8.6 points and 3.3 rebounds in 22.8 minutes last month.
- What should the Suns do with Bradley Beal this offseason — trade the oft-injured wing, waive him and use the stretch provision to spread out the financial burden, or buy him out? Gerald Bourguet of GoPhnx.com takes a deep dive into each of those possibilities.