Steph Curry not injured, but something is ‘off’

WARRIORS star Stephen Curry labelled his health “fine”. Coach Steve Kerr claimed his MVP guard is not injured. But something’s not right.

This is not the Stephen Curry we know.

STEPHEN Curry labelled his health “fine”.

Coach Steve Kerr claimed his MVP guard is not injured.

But in response to a report claiming Curry was playing at 70 per cent, according to a person close to the Golden State Warriors All-Star, Kerr couldn’t resist a few digs.

“Is that sources with knowledge of the team’s thinking? That’s my favourite expression these days. Sources with knowledge of the team’s intimate thinking,” the Warriors coach said today at the team’s practice facility.

Golden State is facing a 3-1 series deficit to the Oklahoma City Thunder and possible elimination from the NBA playoffs on Friday AEST.

“Nobody has said anything about Steph being 70 per cent to me. Our training staff, relatives, friends, sources with knowledge of our team’s thinking, nobody has told me he’s 70 per cent.

“So apparently they told the media but they didn’t tell me.”

Part of Curry’s problem, Kerr allowed, is he is still playing his way back from knee and ankle injuries suffered earlier in the playoffs.

“The last couple games, obviously, he hasn’t played as well as he can,” Kerr said.

“I know he’s not injured. If he were injured, he would not be playing.

“Is he bothered a little bit? Perhaps, by the layoff. He went three weeks without basically playing a game.

“So he just may not be quite where he needs to be, but it’s not an injury.”

The Warriors maintain Curry is not playing injured.

WARRIORS NEED TO BE ‘PERFECT’

Andrew Bogut says Golden State needs to play three perfect games to prevent the Thunder extinguishing their hopes of back-to-back NBA titles.

The Thunder outplayed and outmuscled the Warriors 118-94 yesterday in Oklahoma, with the crucial game five at the Warriors’ Oracle Arena tomorrow.

“We are not out of it yet, but we need three perfect games to try to win the series,” Bogut told reporters after the loss.

The defending champion Warriors have been on a mission from the first game of the regular season to repeat last year’s title win.

They broke Michael Jordan’s 1995-96 Chicago Bulls’ regular season record with 73 wins and nine losses and beat the Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers 4-1 in the first two rounds of the playoffs.

The Warriors, however, have been unable to handle the Thunder’s four-man wall of 213cm tall New Zealand centre Steven Adams, 211cm Enes Kanter, 208cm Serge Ibaka and 206cm Kevin Durant — and the speed and aggression of guard Russell Westbrook.

“It wasn’t pretty,” Bogut said.

“We turned the ball over and at home they play unbelievably tough.”

The series turned in game three when Warriors’ power forward Draymond Green kicked Adams in the genitals, drawing an upgraded flagrant two foul, $US25,000 ($A34,800) fine and putting Green in danger of being suspended for a game if he commits another discretion.

— with AAP