Steve Kerr calls out Steph Curry’s critics after Warriors star rains threes to advance in play-in

What minutes restriction?

Entering the crucial clash between the Golden State Warriors and the LA Clippers for a chance to keep their NBA playoff hopes alive, head coach Steve Kerr revealed that Stephen Curry would be on a minutes restriction.

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But the veteran sharpshooter rolled back the years in a vintage performance to eliminate the Kawhi Leonard-led Clippers from the postseason 126-121 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.

The Warriors have now set up a win-or-go-home contest against the No. 8 Phoenix Suns with the prize being a chance to play a first-round series against the No. 1 seed and reigning NBA champions Oklahoma City Thunder.

Curry dropped a game-high 35 points along with four assists, one rebound and one steal, largely in part due to an emphatic display from behind the three-point line, in which he went 7-of-12 for 58.3 percent.

But it was a slow start for the 37-year-old, in which he had registered just eight points in the first half, but came alive in the third quarter, and was clutch in the fourth alongside Draymond Green, as the Warriors erased a 13-point Clippers lead in the fourth.

After the game, Kerr was full of praise for Curry.

“This is why Steph came back. Everyone out there who thought Steph should take the rest of the year off,” Kerr said. “This is what he does. If he can compete, he competes. And it was just incredible to watch.”

Green added: “Anytime you got Steph Curry, you got a chance. So it’s on all of us to give him a chance to show his greatness. Everybody did their part.”

It was a poor 2025-26 regular season for the Warriors, who stumbled to a 37-45 record, which was enough only to sit 10th in the Western Conference standings.

Granted superstar Curry had suited up just 43 times due to various injury ailments, with the Warriors having also suffered with season-ending injuries to both Jimmy Butler III and Moses Moody.

But when the season was on the line, the league’s greatest three-point shooter came through for his team.

“Just all I’m thinking about is how proud I am of the guys to really show what they’re made of and the fact that we’re still alive,” Kerr continued. “We’ve got to go to Phoenix now and try to get another one, and get ourselves in the playoffs.

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“But more than anything, I’m just so proud of the guys. We must have been down double figures five, six separate times, and we came back every single time we made a run. It was such an incredible display of guts, competitiveness, and connection.”

Team effort left Kerr in awe

Kristaps Porzingis and Gui Santos each put up 20-point outings, while Curry’s backcourt partner Brandin Podziemski posted 17 points and a team-high seven rebounds in what was a huge team effort.

Although Green scored just seven points, his impact was felt on the defensive side of the ball, in which he recorded four steals, two of which came late in the fourth.

“Obviously, Steph and Dray kind of took over down the stretch. Dray’s defense, he’s the best defender I’ve ever seen in my life,” Kerr continued.

“It’s just insane what he does out there. The job he did on Kawhi. I thought our coaches did a really good job with the game plan to blitz Kawhi and try to put a crowd around him.

“The preparation was good, and the players really followed through, and for one night, you know, we’re us. We’re champions again.

“And I know that that may sound crazy to everybody out there. It’s a play-in game. I don’t care. Just absolutely beautiful to watch.”

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