The Golden State Warriors needed a 3-pointer to tie with six seconds left in overtime.
They also possess the greatest 3-point shooter of all time on their roster in the form of Stephen Curry.
But coach Steve Kerr decided to use Curry as a decoy instead.
Curry set a screen at the top of the key, with the hope being that he’d attract defensive attention for whatever his second move would be. But he really was there to free up the Warriors’ Buddy Hield, who launched up a 3-pointer after catching the inbound pass.
The vibes would all be different if Hield’s shot went in. But it didn’t, and the Clippers made a couple foul shots to ice the game, and the Warriors are going to the play-in tournament instead of the regular playoff field.
If Curry’s taped-up right thumb had been a shooting concern before the game, it wasn’t by this point. He had 36 points on 7-for-12 shooting from beyond the arc.
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Hield, before his miss, had eight points on 2-of-5 shooting from deep.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr came under fire on social media afterward for the decision.
Steve Kerr has Steph Curry but draws a play up for Buddy Hield for a three with season on the line pic.twitter.com/CJlcRoWpEa
— Hoops (@HoopMixOnly) April 13, 2025
One poster wrote: “I’d take a 40-foot heave from Steph Curry over a play designed for Buddy Hield with the game on the line. Steve Kerr is the GOAT clown charlatan I’ve ever seen in my life. This guy is literally willing to live and die with Buddy Hield minutes.”
Others wondered why Jimmy Butler wasn’t the option if it wasn’t going to be Curry, but that’s a more lukewarm take given Butler’s late-career aversion to taking or making 3s beyond the very occasional one.
It’s too late to change anything now. Instead, the Warriors will just have to rest up and get ready to take on Memphis in the play-in tournament.
