Steph Curry has career-worst game in Warriors' blowout loss in Memphis

Steph Curry had never failed to score a basket in a game in which he played at least 12 minutes. The greatest shooter the game has ever seen finally experienced that dubious distinction in the most humbling of circumstances on Thursday.

Curry went bucket-less and finished with only two points on a pair of free throws in the Golden State Warriors' 144-93 blowout loss against the younger, faster and more athletic Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum.

Curry missed all seven of his shots from the field, including his six 3-point attempts, as the Grizzlies swarmed him with multiple defenders during his 24 minutes. He and Draymond Green sat the entire fourth quarter after Memphis, now 19-9 and second in the Western Conference, built a 109-59 lead after three periods.

The game marked the debut of guard Dennis Schroeder, who was acquired last week from the Brooklyn Nets to alleviate some of the scoring load on Curry. As expected, Schroeder will need to time to settle into Golden State's schemes after finishing with five points on 2-of-12 shooting (0 for 6 on 3-pointers) and registering a minus-34 in plus/minus.

The loss continued the Warriors' slide. Since a 12-3 start, they have dropped nine of their last 11 games, including three in a row, to fall to 10th place in the West. Despite falling into the final play-in spot, Curry said he still likes "the vibes" of the team.

"I don't like the 'panic' word. I like, 'Accept where you're at and buck up and try to figure out how to change the momentum of the season,'" Curry told ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. "Panic kind of means that you don't have an answer. I think we do have answers. It's just that we may have to adopt a sense of urgency."

Steph Curry believes Warriors will get out of this slump. He says the vibes are better than they were last season when they lost by 52 at Boston in March. He says Warriors are better than how they’ve been playing of late. pic.twitter.com/LICabYpkIy
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) December 20, 2024

One lopsided road loss with your new two-way guard won't sound the alarms for head coach Steve Kerr, who said Schroeder "looked like a guy on a new team." However, Thursday's massacre in Memphis has to be concerning for Golden State's coaching staff with a second-straight limp defensive effort, especially along the 3-point line.

The Warriors have surrendered a combined 287 points in their last two games and continue to give up wide-open looks from 3. The Dallas Mavericks won 143-133 in San Francisco last Sunday, shooting 51.2% on 3-pointers (21 of 41). On Thursday, the Grizzlies made 27 3s on 56.3% shooting from beyond the arc.

"We're reeling," Kerr told reporters. "And we've got to get it back, clearly."

Kerr said last week that he still believes it's "realistic" to win a championship with a still-brilliant but aging Curry, who will turn 37 in March. However, Curry has dealt with knee tendinitis this season for the first time in his career. Could Kerr and general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. be asking too much of their future Hall of Famer?

That important question needs to be answered by Golden State's brass before the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Because if the Warriors want to make another title run, it'll likely take more than Dennis Schroeder to elevate them into the contender conversation.

Steph Curry suffers career-worst game in Warriors' 51-point loss in Memphis

By Joe Lago | 12:17 AM EST