Rounding up all Warriors and NBA related news for Monday, March 25th.

Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images

Warriors News:

Steph Curry on his extended fourth quarter rest: “I’m a little bit [surprised] knowing that they were going on a run”

Steve Kerr defends Stephen Curry’s low minute total after loss | ESPN

Curry scored 31 points on 9-of-21 shooting in his 30 minutes, including five 3-pointers. Golden State was plus-6 in the minutes Curry was on the court, and minus-10 when he wasn’t.

But Warriors coach Steve Kerr isn’t willing to blame this most recent loss on Curry’s minutes.

“We can’t expect to just ride Steph game after game after game,” Kerr said. “We’ve put the burden of this franchise on his shoulders for 15 years. We can’t expect him to play 35 minutes … If you want to say that him playing 30 minutes instead of 32 is a difference between a win and a loss, I totally disagree with that. We’re trying to win the game. And we’re trying to keep him fresh, too.”

Warriors’ playoff hopes tenuous as red-hot Rockets surge

The Warriors, who play at Houston on April 4, also still are in the chat about playoffs, but it’s getting more difficult for them to make a legitimate argument when the losses keep piling up.

“When you have to win and you don’t, it sucks,” Green said. “In order to win, you have to build good habits. I don’t think we have great habits. Until you play with the great habits at all times, you lose.”

Asked whether he’s keeping an eye on the standings and what the Rockets are doing, Green responded emphatically.

“I don’t give a damn about the Rockets,” he said.

Steve Kerr breaks down some of the Warriors’ bad habits in transition defense

Chris Paul explains what got him ejected from Friday’s loss vs. the Pacers

NBA News:

Green scores 41, Rockets beat Jazz 147-119 for eighth straight victory | AP News

HOUSTON (AP) — Jalen Green scored 41 points, Fred VanVleet added 10 3-pointers and a season-high 34 and the Houston Rockets made a season-best 27 3-pointers to beat the Utah Jazz 147-119 on Saturday night for their eighth straight win.

The Rockets’ win streak is their longest since winning eight in a row in November 2019. Houston closed within 1 ½ games of idle Golden State for 10th place and the last play-in spot in the Western Conference.

“It won’t really mean anything if we don’t make the playoffs,” Green said. “That’s the goal everyone has right now. I’m just trying to go out there and be the best version of myself for my teammates.”

Why is scoring down recently in the NBA? A deep dive into the numbers behind the decline | The Athletic

The main culprit? Free throws, or lack thereof. The average game through Jan. 31 saw the teams combine for 45.6 free-throw attempts/48 minutes. From Feb. 1 through March 17, that rate has declined to 40.1. Assuming those missing free throws would have been converted at league average rates, that directly accounts for close to 1.7 of the 5.7 points per game decline in overall scoring.

To slightly oversimplify, a possession ending in two FTA is worth around 1.6 points compared to a league-average possession being worth just over 1.1.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver discusses the future of the NBA All-Star Game with Gayle King and Charles Barkley

In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:

Steph Curry minutes — or lack thereof — and three-point-defense issues send the Warriors into a play-in freefall

The Warriors are among the bottom teams when it comes to opponent three-point frequency (37.6%, 25th in the NBA) — in other words, they allow lots of three-point attempts from opponents. Some of it is by design, in that they almost always are compelled to help off non-shooting threats to add an extra help defender to pack the paint against possible drives.

The evidence for the statement above: The Warriors are the best team in the league when it comes to limiting opponents’ shot attempts at the rim, with an opponent rim frequency of 25.3%. On the surface, that seems like a stat indicative of an elite offense — but in the Warriors’ case, their efforts to wall off the paint and the rim is a consequence of the lack of height and rim-protectors across the board, which forces them to have to pack the paint and scramble if things break down up front.

Player grades: Warriors vs. Pacers

Trayce Jackson-Davis

26 minutes, 9 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 4-for-5 shooting, 1-for-3 free throws, 79.1% TS, -9

Apparently TJD is just one of the most efficient scorers in the NBA right now. You know what? I’m here for it.

Another good game for him, and his second half minutes gave the team hope. Unfortunately, hope wasn’t good enough on Friday night.

Grade: A-