SAN FRANCISCO – Steph Curry is as maniacal a worker as the game has ever seen, his Hall of Fame game built upon using his unparalleled cardio to run circles around defenses before obliterating them with long-range shots.
But at 38-years-old and with knees that have precious little tread left on them, the Warriors are approaching his upcoming season with an eye toward preservation. Curry is still a brilliant offensive engine, but only if he can play.
Curry is coming off a season in which he suited up only 43 times, missing 27 straight games at one point with runner’s knee.
Rather than ask Curry to play 27 minutes in his third preseason game – as he did a season ago – the Warriors kept him on a strict minutes restriction in their 111-106 victory over the Kings at Chase Center on Saturday.
Curry played the first eight minutes of the opening quarter, and then the final six minutes of the second quarter, concluding his night with eight minutes on 3 of 6 shooting in a stint that contained only a half.
The deliberate rollout was part of a larger plan to keep his knees fresh. Gone were the days of having Curry participate in every practice, too.
“We’re trying to find that balance between not overloading Steph and allowing him to find his rhythm,” Kerr said pregame. “This year, that will definitely mean less court time. We’re definitely easing him off practice time. We want him to be available for as many games as possible.”
The Warriors plan on playing him more minutes during Tuesday’s game in Las Vegas, with Kerr saying, “I’ll talk t Rock on Monday, and we’ll make that decision, but he’ll play in the second half for sure in Las Vegas.”
Though Curry played only a half, the Warriors gave star rookie Yaxel Lendeborg plenty of runway in the team’s fourth preseason game.
Heeding the advice his veterans have given him throughout the past two weeks, Lendeborg attacked the paint with aplomb. Nine of his 12 shot attempts were in the paint and Lendeborg put in an efficient 20 points in the first half.
He finished the game with 23 points, six assists and 10 rebounds in 23 minutes, continuing another trend of strong rebounding from the rookie out of Michigan. He had pulled down nine boards apiece in each of his past two games.
He wowed the crowd with two coast-to-coast layups, grabbing the board before rumbling downcourt and finishing in traffic.
“He’s a guy who can put a ton of pressure on the rim, and create shots for himself or for others,” Kerr said. “So we want him bringing up the ball and attacking until somebody picks him up.”
Gui Santos put up 15 points next to Lendeborg, while Draymond Green grabbed seven rebounds and dished out five assists to put up a stat line that undersold the number of bullet passes he delivered to cutters in 23 minutes. Speedy guard Brandon Williams beat the buzzer in the third quarter by making a rare 3-pointer — his second of the night — and finished with 19 points on 7 of 8 shooting.
Having signed a new contract a few hours earlier, Brandin Podziemski scored 14 and had four assists. He was the first person sent to the postgame podium, bucking the tradition of having the coach speak first.
“I think for me it shows a sign of faith and trust on their end, wanting me here,” Podziemski said. “I think for me I just owe it right back to them. They’re putting their trust and faith in me so I got to do the same and play that way each and every night.”
Kings center and Stanford alum Maxime Raynaud suffered a serious knee injury in the second quarter. After remaining down for several minutes, he had to be wheelchaired off the floor.
“Being around the spot for pretty much my whole life, injuries are just hard, but they’re part of what we do,” Kings coach Doug Christie said. “I told him on the floor, ‘I love you , man. We’re here for you. We’ve got you.’”
Kings rookie Darius Acuff led the Kings with 25 points and eight assists.
The Warriors led 61-56 at halftime.
The Warriors will play against the Lakers in Las Vegas on Tuesday.