Dub Hub: Steph Curry frustrated after Warriors’ 114-98 loss to Heat

Rounding up all Warriors and NBA related news for Wednesday, January 8th.

In today’s Dub Hub:

• Steph Curry expresses frustration after the Warriors’ 114-98 loss to the Heat on Tuesday night.
• Steve Kerr says the Warriors are suffering from a “crisis of confidence”.
• Thunder and Cavaliers face off Wednesday night in matchup between NBA’s two best team.

The Golden State Warriors suffered a disappointing 114-98 loss to the Miami Heat on Monday night, and the frustration was palpable from their usually upbeat leader, Stephen Curry. Throughout the game, Curry was visibly exasperated as the Warriors struggled to get over the hump against a scrappy but beatable Miami team.

Curry did everything in his power to keep Golden State in the game, dropping a team-high 31 points on yet another efficient shooting night (11-of-22 from the field). However, his efforts weren’t enough to overcome the Warriors’ recurring issues: missed opportunities, poor execution on both sides of the floor, and a glaring lack of energy.

In his postgame press conference, Curry’s tone was uncharacteristically subdued as his frustration with the team’s performance continues to grow after each loss.

The loss drops the Warriors back to .500 at 18-18, raising serious doubts about their ability to contend this season. With every defeat, the urgency to find answers grows louder—both for Curry and a team that increasingly looks like their season is fading away from them.

For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Wednesday, January 8th:

Warriors News:

Steph Curry looks deflated as Warriors lose again, hit low point of their season | The Athletic

“I honestly have no idea,” Curry said when asked how the offense can get better.

Is this the low point of the season?

“Yeah,” Curry said. “I mean, back-to-back no-shows pretty much. The hard part is these are winnable games against teams that, for whatever reason, are around the same (spot in the) standings. … We have nothing to show for it, nothing really to latch onto like ‘Oh, we’re doing this great if we can only … ‘

“Seems like both sides of the ball are struggling. They’re probably connected, if you make shots usually your confidence goes up; your belief that you can win the game goes up. It helps you play defense. Once you lose that spirit it’s glaring how bad we can be at times.”

Steve Kerr says the Warriors are suffering from a ‘crisis of confidence’

Report: Zion not on Warriors’ radar ahead of trade deadline | NBC Sports Bay Area

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, who reportedly could be moved before the league’s Feb. 6 trade deadline, is not on the Warriors’ radar, Andscape’s Marc J. Spears reported Tuesday in an appearance on KNBR 680’s “Murph & Markus.”

“I also did hear that Zion’s not on the [Warriors] radar,” Spears told Brian Murphy and Markus Boucher. “Which, I know others might feel differently, but probably a good thing. Because with Zion, you just don’t know what you’re going to get and when he’s going to be healthy, and his [salary cap] number’s rather high as well. I just think the Warriors in the end will get someone in a very creative way. They actually have to.”

Two Timelines never died, and it’s killing the Warriors | SF Gate

Lacob and the Warriors have to be honest with themselves: it’s going to get very, very bad when Curry is gone. Losing seasons have a psychological toll, but it’s probably what this ownership group needs to reset their expectations for the long haul. No more nationally televised games. Free agents not taking meetings. The bunker suites at Chase may feel like opulent ghost towns for some time. The Chicago Bulls went through this, are still going through this to some extent. This is unavoidable.

Could Jimmy Butler JOIN the Warriors? Zion Williamson RETURNS after 27 games | NBA Today

NBA News:

Thunder-Cavs showdown a historic collison of winning streaks | NBA

Best in the Eastern Conference. Best in the Western Conference. The best shooting team in the NBA vs. the best defensive team in the NBA. A matchup like only two others in league history.

Clear the calendar for Wednesday night, when Oklahoma City goes to Cleveland (7 ET, ESPN).

Technically, any game between an East team and a West team is a potential NBA Finals preview — but this one certainly deserves that billing. A Thunder team on a 15-game winning streak, taking on a Cavaliers team on a 10-game winning streak (after having its own 15-game streak earlier this season).

Zion Williamson finally returned to the Pelicans. Now comes the important part | The Athletic

He made it clear he was back early in the second half when he picked up a steal in the open court and uncorked a thunderous 360 windmill dunk reminiscent of the one he did against the Phoenix Suns in 2022.

“We worked really hard during this rehab,” Williamson said. “The focus I had during this rehab was a bit more extreme. We found different ways to work and not just be stagnant. Even before I was running, the conditioning the team had me doing was a lot, but it was always good work. Week by week, I could feel the progression.”

Hawks’ Trae Young hits half court game-winning buzzer beater vs. Jazz

In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:

Player grades: Warriors vs. Heat

Trayce Jackson-Davis

35 minutes, 19 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block, 9-for-12 shooting, 1-for-1 free throws, 76.4% TS, -15

One of TJD’s best performances of the season. He almost single-handedly got the Warriors back in the game in the third quarter. And, while Bam Adebayo still had a very nice game (as All-Stars tend to do), Jackson-Davis played more than 35 minutes without committing a single foul. He’s really growing before our eyes!

Grade: A

Post-game bonus: Worst plus/minus on the team

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