Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors laid a dud during Wednesday’s Game 5 first-round playoff road matchup against the Houston Rockets. Curry’s offensive woes left NBA fans dragging the superstar guard for costing his team a chance to close out the series.
After securing back-to-back home victories in Games 3 and 4, Golden State entered Wednesday leading Houston 3-1 in their best-of-seven series. Many expected the seasoned squad to put the young, inexperienced Rockets to rest at Toyota Center after stealing Game 1 on the road.
Instead, the Warriors got pummeled 131-116, falling behind by as many as 31 points in the third quarter. Coach Steve Kerr pulled his starters midway through the frame. With his decision, Curry ended his night with just 13 points, three rebounds, seven assists, and three 3-pointers, shooting 4-for-12 (33.3%) across 23 minutes.
The two-time MVP finished as the leading scorer among Golden State’s starters, as the other four failed to muster more than eight points apiece. That included Curry’s co-star, Jimmy Butler, who managed eight points on 2-for-10 shooting (20%) over 25 minutes. Nevertheless, many of the NBA fans’ online criticisms were directed at Curry.
NBA Fans Slam Stephen Curry for 13-Point Game 5 Performance
Fans on X pinned the blame on Curry and to a lesser extent, Butler, with some noting that they were outplayed by their team’s bench players.
“Curry has been absolute rubbish. All of this is on him and Butler,” one fan said.
“Stephen Curry find shame,” another wrote.
“Pat Spencer is playing better than Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry #observing,” one user noted.
“Wardell Stephen curry doing what he does best,” another remarked.
Meanwhile, others questioned whether the typically exceptional duo even tried to win the game.
“jimmy butler and stephen curry are cracking me up man wtf are they doing on the court,” one user said.
“If Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler don’t stop playing around!!,” another commented.
Curry Posts Second Straight Sub-20-Point Performance
Wednesday’s letdown marked Curry’s second consecutive postseason outing with fewer than 20 points. The 11-time All-Star also delivered a subpar showing during Monday’s 109-106 Game 4 home victory. He tallied 17 points, three rebounds, three assists, one steal, and two triples, shooting 6-for-13 (46.2%).
Thus, Golden State will likely need a resurgent performance from Curry during Friday’s Game 6 home clash to avoid a must-win Game 7 showdown in Houston.
Through five contests, Curry is averaging 23.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 0.8 steals, and 3.8 3-pointers per game, shooting 48.8%. His scoring average is buoyed by 31-plus point efforts in Games 1 and 3.
