Curry is expected to be sidelined for around a month with a shoulder subluxation he sustained in the Warriors' loss at the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, according to a report from The Athletic.
However, the injury will not require surgery that would threaten the star guard's availability for the rest of the season.
"From what I know about shoulder injuries and situations like that, anytime you can avoid anything [involving] surgery, it's great news,” Curry told reporters following Golden State's shootaround for Friday's game with the Philadelphia 76ers.
"That changed the whole dynamic of the conversation, both personally and as a team.
"It was a matter of making sure I didn't need surgery and that my shoulder will be able to heal on its own, however long that took, because I know the surgeries are four to six months [recovery time]. Nobody wants to be dealing with that right now."
Since Curry has never dealt with shoulder problems over the course of his 14-year NBA career, he said he is hopeful the healing process will be smoother than if he had a recurring injury.
"I'm just trying to stay positive and understand that I'll be back sooner than later, hopefully, and hopefully I won't miss a beat in terms of how I feel and how I've been playing," said Curry, one of seven players currently averaging at least 30 points per game this season.
"My body's in good shape. I feel I can maintain that for the most part while [I'm] injured, then get back there in hoop.”
Curry's injury still comes at an inopportune time for the defending NBA champions, who have lost four of five and are also without starting forward Andrew Wiggins.
Golden State is in the midst of a challenging six-game road trip and has the second worst winning percentage away from home this season at 2-13.
The Warriors enter Friday's game 10th in the Western Conference, which would place them in the play-in tournament if the season ended today.
"It's just a matter of other guys stepping up," Curry said. "Every team goes through this at some point throughout the year, dealing with injuries, dealing with some of your main guys being out.
"You've got to figure out how to perform and embrace this challenge. I'm super confident in the guys we have on this team to figure it out. We can talk ourselves into we're still in good shape, but you've got to go out and be a consistent basketball team. I think we can do that."
Against a comparatively healthy Suns squad, the Warriors were without Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole, Damion Lee and Moses Moody (health and safety protocols), along with several assistant coaches, and Andre Iguodala (knee), Klay Thompson (Achilles/ACL) and James Wiseman (meniscus) still out with injury.
Curry was available but has previously struggled on Christmas, averaging just 13.1 points in his eight career games on the festive day. That ranked as his worst average points haul on any date he has played on more than twice.
However, the Warriors' star guard excelled against the Suns on Saturday, achieving a game-high 33 points in the 116-107 win.
Otto Porter Jr also impressed in a rare start for Golden State, with a late flurry helping to see his team home as 13 of his 19 points came in the fourth quarter, making several clutch shots.
Speaking after the game, Curry said: "It's nice to win on Christmas, nice to win on the road against the best record in the league, short-handed. All the other context of the situation, a huge win.
"Everybody stepped up. It was a great atmosphere. Just toughed it out at the end, and obviously, Otto took over down the stretch, so that was huge all the way around."
Steve Kerr's Warriors now move half a game ahead of the Suns, with a league-best 27-6 record.
Kerr was delighted with the showing from his depleted side, making special mention of how Curry rose to the occasion despite being one of their only star men available.
"Steph was amazing," he said. "Facing that defense with so much attention on him, missing three of our best shooters, for him to see that type of defense and find his way to 33 points - he was a plus-24 - so even when he was not making shots, he was still impacting the game just by pulling the defense over towards him.
"Steph was brilliant, so was Draymond [Green]. I thought [Kevon] Looney did a hell of a job, as well, so it was a great team win."
Having earlier this week dropped 47 points to help the Warriors defeat the Sacramento Kings and end a five-match losing streak, Curry was influential as Golden State rallied to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 106-101 on Friday.
Curry finished with 40 points, making 18 in the final quarter and going 15-of-23 shooting including 6-of-11 from three-point range.
With 1:18 left on the clock, Curry drained a three to tie the game then - having hit the go-ahead lay-up - landed another from downtown to get the Warriors over the line.
"You run out of adjectives to describe Steph's play," Kerr said of his star man.
"He's just amazing night after night. Given the circumstances with our team kind of in a rut, trying to dig our way out of a hole, he's just been spectacular. He's never been better, I can say that.
"He's in such great shape. If there's one area that he's dramatically better now than when I first got here eight years ago it's just his strength and conditioning.
"He's much bigger and stronger, much more capable of defending at a really high level and sustaining two-way basketball for an entire game and just knocking down shots from all over and finishing at the rim. He's unbelievable."
Curry has now scored at least 10 points in the final quarter on six occasions this season for a Warriors team who are 5-7 as they aim to defend their NBA Championship this season.
Asked if he can explain his strong finishes, Curry said: "I classify it as being aggressive.
"Obviously shots have to fall but it's about having aggressive attacks off of pick-and-roll, getting other guys involved, getting to the paint and finishing, coming out shooting.
"A lot of confidence carried over from our playoff run last year. It's understanding the balance of playmaking and scoring."
Curry landed four three-pointers with seven rebounds and five assists while fellow debutant Andre Drummond added 11 points, with Ben Simmons still out despite being present for the pre-game shootaround.
The Nets led from start to finish but were propelled by a 54-37 second half with LaMarcus Aldridge scoring 19 points with eight rebounds off the bench.
Bruce Brown had season-high returns with 19 points, six assists and five steals for the new-look Nets who improved to 30-27.
De'Andre Fox had a game-high 26 points for the Kings who were limited to 34.4 per cent shooting (31-of-90) overall.
Steph stars but Warriors lose
Stephen Curry made eight three-pointers in a 33-point haul but it was not enough to get the Golden State Warriors past the Los Angeles Clippers who won 119-104. Terance Mann scored 25 points with seven rebounds and six assists for the triumphant Clippers.
Julius Randle had a triple-double with 30 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists but he was overshadowed by Rookie of the Year contender Josh Giddey as the Oklahoma City Thunder won 127-123 in overtime. Giddey also had a triple-double with 28 points including three triples along with 11 rebounds and 12 assists.
Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic starred with 26 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists as the Denver Nuggets brushed aside the Orlando Magic 121-111, while Donovan Mitchell had 30 points with six rebounds and seven assists in the Utah Jazz's 135-101 victory over the Houston Rockets.
Middleton loses radar as Bucks go down
Khris Middleton almost had a triple-double but shot poorly, going three-of-15 from the field and one-of-eight from beyond the arc as the Milwaukee Bucks went down 122-107 to the Portland Trail Blazers. Anfernee Simons scored 31 points for the Blazers, while Middleton had 16 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists as the Bucks lost in Giannis Antetokounmpo's absence due to a sore ankle.
The Pacers were without Domantas Sabonis (ankle), Caris LeVert (calf) and Malcolm Brogdon (Achilles) yet found a way to win led by Chris Duarte with 27 points and seven rebounds.
Curry hit six three-pointers in his 39-point haul with five rebounds and eight assists while Kevin Looney had 13 points and 15 rebounds.
The two-time MVP shot 12 of 27 from the field, while Klay Thompson shot six of 17 from the field and zero of seven from beyond the arc.
The Warriors gave away 21 turnovers for the game which was costly as the Pacers claimed rare back-to-back road wins.
Suns clinch fifth straight win
The table-topping Phoenix Suns stormed home with a 35-19 fourth quarter to knock off Luka Doncic's Dallas Mavericks 109-101.
Devin Booker finished with 28 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, while Chris Paul had 20 points and 11 assists. The Suns enjoyed a 22-6 run to finish the game, with Paul underlining their clutch status with a late three-pointer.
Phoenix improve to 35-9 on the back of a five-game winning run. Doncic, who nursed a minor neck issue, had 28 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Mavs.
Knicks clipped by Pelicans
Julius Randle shot one-of-nine from the field as the New York Knicks were humbled 102-91 by the New Orleans Pelicans. Randle only managed four points, while Kemba Walker also struggled with only five points.
Curry had been listed as "questionable" for the game due to a hip complaint but overcame that to post 40 points including nine three-pointers for the Warriors who improve to 13-2.
Golden State had trailed by 13 points early in the final quarter, before going on a 17-0 initiated by three consecutive Curry triples.
Curry had 13 points during the 17-0 run and 20 for the final quarter, as the Warriors flicked the switch with a 36-8 last period.
Draymond Green played a strong deputy hand with 14 assists for the Warriors, while Darius Garland had 25 points for the Cavs.
Curry also broke his own record for the most triples made by a player in the first 15 games of season, overtaking his 2018-19 haul of 80 and moving his 2021-22 tally to 85.
Sixers snap five-game skid
Guards Seth Curry (20 points, six rebounds and five assists) and Tyrese Maxey (22 points, five rebounds and four assists) helped the Philadelphia 76ers end their five-game skid with a 103-89 win over the Denver Nuggets. Nikola Jokic had 22 points in the first half but finished with 30 for the game, along with 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Jimmy Butler had 32 points, five assists and four steals while Kyle Lowry dished off 12 assists as the Miami Heat downed the Washington Wizards 112-97, despite Bradley Beal's 30 points.
Ja Morant starred with 28 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Memphis Grizzlies in a 120-108 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, with Paul George managing 23 points, including five from beyond the arc.
Murray loses his radar
Dejounte Murray only managed seven points, shooting at 17 percent from the field, missing all four three-point attempts in the San Antonio Spurs' 115-90 defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Curry, who hit an equal career-high 25 points in the first quarter, was central to the Warriors win, which follows their opening night victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
After a wayward shooting display against Lakers that Curry described as "trash", the point guard nailed his first 10 field goal attempts for the game, finishing 16-from-25 including eight-from-13 from beyond the arc.
Curry also had 10 rebounds for the game, supported well by Andrew Wiggins with 17 points and six rebounds. Draymond Green battled throughout but had 10 points, six rebounds and seven assists.
The Warriors led by as much as 19 points but the Clippers clawed it back to a one-point game by half-time with Paul George excelling with 29 points along with 11 rebounds and six assists.
The game came down to the final minutes, with the Clippers leading by two points with less than two-and-a-half minutes to go after Marcus Morris Sr's three-pointer before Curry responded with two of his own.
Heat blow away Bucks
Reigning champions the Milwaukee Bucks were humbled 137-95 by the Miami Heat in Kyle Lowry's debut for his new team, although he only managed five points and six assists as he laboured with an ankle issue.
The Heat blew the Bucks apart early, opening up a 22-3 lead, with Tyler Herro top scoring with 27 points including a first-quarter buzzer beater from range after Max Strus' block.
Giannis Antetokounmpo top scored for the Bucks, who were without Jrue Holiday, with 15 points and 10 rebounds, shooting at 36.4 per cent from the field. Bucks forward Khris Middleton shot only four-from-14 from the field.
Young leads Hawks over Doncic's Mavs
Trae Young got the better of Luka Doncic as the Atlanta Hawks won 113-87 over the Dallas Mavericks.
Young finished the game with 19 points and 14 assists, which was the most by a Hawks player in a season opener since Mookie Blaylock in 1993. Clint Capela was excellent in the paint with 12 points and 13 rebounds, while Cam Reddish top scored off the bench with 20 points.
Doncic had his radar off, shooting six-from-17 for 18 points, along with 11 rebounds and seven assists. The Slovenian also gave up five turnovers.
As usual, the Warriors were led by reigning NBA Finals MVP Stephen Curry with a game-high 39 points on 14-of-25 shooting, hitting eight-of-15 three-point attempts while adding eight rebounds, eight assists and three steals.
It was a rough start for Golden State as they found themselves trailing 63-43 late in the second quarter, but some early shenanigans between Draymond Green and the entire Pelicans team seemed to spur some life into the Warriors defense after the break.
In typical Warriors fashion, they exploded in the third quarter in front of their home fans, putting together a 39-26 period to cut the lead to four going into the last.
They ratcheted up the defense even further down the stretch, holding the visitors to just 20 points while piling on 35 of their own as Curry, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole all drained deep triples to blow the roof off Chase Center.
Despite the loss, it was another strong showing from Pelicans centrepiece Brandon Ingram. After his first career triple-double on Thursday and a career-high 13 assists on Saturday, Ingram again looked every bit of an All-NBA initiator with a team-high 26 points (nine-of-22), eight rebounds and seven assists.
A loss for the Warriors would have seen them drop to 39-38 and potentially swap spots with the eighth-seeded Pelicans, but they instead improved to 40-37 and leapfrogged the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves (39-37) in the process.
Mitchell's 44 not enough for Cleveland
Donovan Mitchell dropped 44 points on the road but it was not enough as the Cleveland Cavaliers fell 120-118 to the Atlanta Hawks.
Mitchell shot 15-of-33 with five rebounds and five assists, while Darius Garland added 27 points (10-of-22) and Evan Mobley chipped in 20 points (10-of-13), 15 rebounds, four assists and four blocks – but the Hawks had all the answers.
Atlanta had seven players score double figures, led by Dejounte Murray's 29 (11-of-22). Trae Young ran the show with 10 assists on an off-shooting night (four-of-15 for 16 points), and the Hawks' bench delivered in a big way.
Backup center Onyeka Okongwu had a wildly efficient 20 minutes with 21 points (five-of-five from the field and 11-of-12 free throws), nine rebounds and three blocks, and trade deadline acquisition Saddiq Bey had 11 points, 10 rebounds and three assists.
Hornets win a shootout in Oklahoma City
The Oklahoma City Thunder received 30-point efforts from Josh Giddey, Jalen Williams and Isaiah Joe – but still lost 137-134 to the surprisingly in-form Charlotte Hornets.
Giddey had one of the best statistical games of his career with 31 points (14-of-22), 10 rebounds and nine assists; rookie Williams had 31 points (11-of-16), four assists and four steals; and Joe hit six-of-11 threes and 11-of-18 overall for his 33 points.
But P.J. Washington was not going to let the Hornets lose, scoring a career-high 43 points on 16-of-24 shooting as he added six rebounds and five assists in an eye-opening performance from the well-rounded six-foot-seven 24-year-old.
It was a standout showing off the bench for the spectacularly bouncy 22-year-old second-year center Kai Jones, collecting the first double-double of his career with 12 points (five-of-five) and 14 rebounds in 22 minutes.
The loss for the Thunder means they slipped to 37-39, still inside the play-in tournament placings, but now tied with the 11th-ranked Dallas Mavericks.
The Warriors made a winning start to the NBA season, with a 139-104 victory on Wednesday, where coach Steve Kerr used 12 different players on the floor.
Despite Portland leading by nine points in the opening quarter, the Warriors rallied, taking the lead at the break before holding out for the win.
Overall, seven of the Warriors' players scored double figures, with Curry getting 17 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds before sitting out the fourth quarter.
Curry, who is playing his 16th year in the NBA, is looking forward to using the squad's depth this season.
"It's the identity of this team right now," Curry said. "We're going to rely on our depth.
"You have to have a commitment - no agendas, no egos, or healthy egos, where you know you're supposed to be out there, but if it's not your night, don't bring the team down with your energy.
"Haven't seen any red flags of that."
Buddy Hield led the team with 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including five 3-pointers, off the bench. It is the most points scored by a Warriors player in 15 or fewer minutes since 1984.
Curry believes the 31-year-old could be key to filling the gap left behind by Klay Thompson's departure after he joined the Dallas Mavericks in the offseason, especially if the Warriors want to make the playoffs this time around.
"Without Klay, you need shooting, but we needed shooting anyway," Curry added.
"Me and [Hield] have been one and two [in 3-point shooting], and Klay's right there shooting threes for the last eight years, so we know what [Hield's] skill set is, we know what he's capable of doing.
"He's been a very seamless transition so far."
The Warriors face the Utah Jazz in their next game on Friday.
Curry sustained the injury with 2:04 left in the third quarter as he attempted to strip Jalen Smith of the ball, immediately clutching his shoulder but continuing to run down the court.
The Warriors called a timeout where Curry was assessed by training staff, later heading into the locker room and being ruled out in the fourth quarter.
"He's going to get an MRI tomorrow," Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters. "He was ruled out midway through the fourth. Training staff told me he wasn’t going to play the rest of the night. We'll see how he is tomorrow."
On the pain Curry was feeling, Kerr added: "I didn’t ask about that. I trust their judgement and they said he's not going back in. I just checked in with him briefly but haven’t had a chance to go into detail."
Kerr said 34-year-old eight-time All-Star Curry seemed upbeat in their brief interaction.
"Steph is always a guy with a great outlook on life so he was in good spirits," Kerr said. "We'll hope for the best."
The reigning NBA Finals MVP had 38 points on five-of-10 three-point shooting with seven rebounds and seven assists until the injury ended his game.
Golden State, who slumped to 2-13 on the road this season, had fought back from a 74-54 half-time deficit but could not overcome the Pacers without Curry.
"Just stunning," Kerr said about Curry's performance. "He basically put us on his shoulders for the minutes he was out there.
"He was generating so much offense, he was getting to the line, he was getting the ball to other people, he was absolutely brilliant.
"I thought the guys did a great job of fighting throughout the third quarter before he got hurt and then after."
Curry is averaging 29.6 points on 49.7 per cent field-goal shooting and 43.2 per cent three-point shooting with 6.6 rebounds and 6.8 assists this season.
The reigning NBA champions had enough to close out the game, beating the Mavs 119-113 at Chase Center.
But Curry – who recorded 21 points, seven assists and six rebounds – was forced off in the third quarter.
Defending a drive, Curry was involved in a collision that instantly caused him obvious discomfort and prevented him from continuing.
The Warriors confirmed X-ray results came back negative, but more examinations are required to understand the full nature of the injury.
"Any time a guy's going to get an MRI there's a concern level, for sure," Kerr said. "So we'll just have to wait and see the results.
"This has happened many, many times over the years. So, fingers crossed he's OK."
Curry hurt the same knee only two days before against the Denver Nuggets, though Kerr was unsure if the two injuries had any form of relation.
If Curry does require a spell on the sidelines, Kerr and the Warriors can at least study their game from his last prolonged absence earlier this season when a shoulder injury forced him to miss 11 games.
"If he's out, then we move forward and we do have some games to look at, some game film to look at," Kerr added. "We'll be ready, regardless."
Curry's exit coincided with a significant drop-off for the Warriors, who went from 20 points up to having just a five-point lead with a little over 90 seconds left.
It is not the first time the Warriors have been unconvincing when trying to close a game out, with Draymond Green suggesting the players need to take more responsibility.
"When we get down the stretch, we stop doing the things that work," he said. "When the game is going down the stretch, it's hard for Steve [Kerr] to get a call in every time.
"You're under pressure, it's intense, you're in the game, you're not really focused on what's coming from the sidelines. We've got to do a better job closing down the stretch."
This victory took the Warriors to 27-26 for the season, leaving them seventh in the Western Conference.
Curry shot six of 20 from the field, finishing with 18 points and making only three of 14 attempts from beyond the arc.
The two-time MVP's three triples moved him within seven three-pointers of breaking Allen's all-time NBA record of 2,973 three-point attempts made.
"If you take away the context of these last couple of games, I've played the exact same way," Curry said at the post-game news conference. "You’ve got to make shots and understand the opposition is not going to want that [breaking the record] to happen on their home floor.
"They defend accordingly. For the most part [I am] trying to keep it out of my head and just play basketball and take the shots I normally take and play the game I normally do.
"There was obviously a lot of attention on it which is well deserved as it's an all-time NBA record and one that been around for 10-11 years.
"I appreciate the attention on it. It'll happen when it happens. I'll continue to keep winning NBA games in the process."
Curry has made 24 three-pointers in his past five games as he closes in on the NBA record with attention swirling about the milestone held by Allen since 2011 when he surpassed Reggie Miller's mark of 2,560.
The point guard attributed his 30 percent field goal percentage to pressure from the 76ers and Matisse Thybulle, who marked him closely, rather than the impending record.
"They pressured all night long. Thybulle is a pretty hard defender," Curry said. "They were trying to force us into the paint and make the extra pass and we did that early.
"We didn't shoot as effectively as we wanted. We made that third quarter run but then got cold. They slowly walked us down."
Curry's next chance at breaking Allen's record occurs on Monday when the Warriors face the Indiana Pacers.
Curry shot six of 20 from the field, finishing with 18 points and making only three of 14 attempts from beyond the arc.
The two-time MVP's three triples moved him within seven three-pointers of breaking Allen's all-time NBA record of 2,973 three-point attempts made.
"If you take away the context of these last couple of games, I've played the exact same way," Curry said at the post-game news conference. "You’ve got to make shots and understand the opposition is not going to want that [breaking the record] to happen on their home floor.
"They defend accordingly. For the most part [I am] trying to keep it out of my head and just play basketball and take the shots I normally take and play the game I normally do.
"There was obviously a lot of attention on it which is well deserved as it's an all-time NBA record and one that been around for 10-11 years.
"I appreciate the attention on it. It'll happen when it happens. I'll continue to keep winning NBA games in the process."
Curry has made 24 three-pointers in his past five games as he closes in on the NBA record with attention swirling about the milestone held by Allen since 2011 when he surpassed Reggie Miller's mark of 2,560.
The point guard attributed his 30 percent field goal percentage to pressure from the 76ers and Matisse Thybulle, who marked him closely, rather than the impending record.
"They pressured all night long. Thybulle is a pretty hard defender," Curry said. "They were trying to force us into the paint and make the extra pass and we did that early.
"We didn’t shoot as effectively as we wanted. We made that third quarter run but then got cold. They slowly walked us down."
Curry's next chance at breaking Allen's record occurs on Monday when the Warriors face the Indiana Pacers.
During an Instagram Live chat with former team-mate JaVale McGee on Friday, Curry made the prediction.
McGee, now with the Los Angeles Lakers, asked the two-time NBA MVP: "What team or player on that team that you know is guarding you do you look at and be like, 'Oh yeah, I'm getting 60 tonight'?"
Curry took a moment before responding: "Everybody."
It sent McGee running wildly before the center said: "What is going on? Steph Curry just took shots at every player in the NBA."
Curry has never managed a 60-point haul, with his career-high a 54 against the New York Knicks in February 2013.
The current NBA season was suspended last month due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Curry exploded for 62 points to lead the Warriors past the Trail Blazers 137-122 in the NBA on Sunday.
The two-time NBA MVP was 18-of-31 from the field and eight-of-16 from three-point range to set a personal best.
"You try to just continue to stay humble and stay in the moment. That's the best way to approach it," Curry told NBC Sports after the game.
"It doesn't help when your team-mates are yelling at you every dead ball how many points you've got, but other than that it's just don't do anything differently, just keep being aggressive, being decisive and good things happen."
Curry was also 18-of-19 from the free-throw line as he became the first Warriors player to score 62-plus points since Rick Barry in March 1974.
Damian Lillard (32) and CJ McCollum (28) combined for 60 points for the Trail Blazers.
Curry said he enjoyed coming up against the likes of Lillard, who is a five-time NBA All-Star.
"It's always the best guys in the league, especially the point guard position, bring the best out of you," he said.
"If you're around this league long enough you kind of get to see every kind of scenario and situation and we have a lot to fight for and a huge challenge in front of us.
"They're the established team now so for a guy like him, it always brings the best out of you and I love the competition and that's kind of what it is."
The Warriors are 3-3 to begin the NBA season and Golden State face the Sacramento Kings on Monday.
The loss at TD Garden was the fourth-worst the Warriors, who entered the contest in good form, have suffered in franchise history.
It marks the third time this season the Celtics have won by 50 points or more, meanwhile, as they racked up an 11th victory in a row.
"The way that they've been playing, they seem very sure of themselves in their identity and who they are," Curry said. "Give them credit.
"They came out and whooped us from the jump, and it was a perfect storm of a rough [day] on our end and them taking it to us."
Curry played despite being questionable, but he did not feature in the second half as he finished with a season-low tally of four points.
The Warriors will hope to have Curry back to full fitness for their return to action against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.
"This was not a day off for Steph, though he probably could have used one," Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said.
"He's played so well and for so long this year. Hopefully the next few days he'll get it recharged."
Jaylen Brown led the scoring with 29 points, while birthday boy Jayson Tatum had 26 in the Celtics' third-biggest victory in franchise history.
Boston led by a franchise-record 44 points at the midway point and went on to extend their advantage to 51 before making some changes.
"It feels great, but, at the same time, it's always within humility," Brown said. "We don't take the game for granted.
"We didn't come and mess around and that's just how we show our respect to the game, we handle business and take care of it.
"It's a lot of respect for the Golden State Warriors, but we feel like it's our time now."
The 48-12 Celtics lead the Eastern Conference, while the Warriors are ninth in the Western Conference with a record of 32-28.
That message from Kerr was clear after Sunday's 114-110 loss to the Timberwolves, with the Golden State chief prioritising Curry's fitness over chasing results.
Curry scored 31 points on 9-of-21 shooting in his 30 minutes, including five 3-pointers, despite sitting out 11 straight minutes between the end of the third quarter and the closing stages of the fourth.
"I want to play as many minutes as I'm fresh and able to, so I'm a little bit [surprised] knowing that they were going on a run," said Curry.
Curry acknowledged "our lead was withering away" as the Warriors man was removed with four third-quarter minutes left and not introduced until just over six final minutes remained.
Kerr refuted suggestions Curry should have been reinstated sooner, though, pointing to the fitness load already on his strained shoulders.
"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."
Unlike the Timberwolves defeat, Curry played the entirety of the fourth quarter and 35 minutes overall in Friday's 123-11 loss to the Indiana Pacers.
"I played the whole fourth quarter against Indiana and it didn't work out, this didn't work out [against Minnesota]. We've got to find somewhere in the middle," Curry added.
"The situation will define itself in real-time. Every game matters as we're inching closer to the other end of the standings we never thought we would be in.
"No one is going to wave the white flag and say we are mailing it in. If that means playing more minutes, I'll be ready to do that."
The Warriors are just one game up on the in-form Houston Rockets, hanging on to the no.10 seed in the Western Conference by a slight margin.
Curry had earlier stated there remains no concern as to where Golden State finish in the standings, so long as the Warriors develop a winning habit to regain form for the postseason.
"What Steph is saying is if we don't build the habits, it doesn't matter," Kerr clarified as the final 12 games loom.
"You make the play-in, you don't, if you don't have the habits you're not going anywhere."
The Warriors fought back from a 16-point deficit in the third quarter with a 37-25 final period, going 13 of 18 from the field.
Curry finished the game with 28 points including six three-pointers with six rebounds and nine assists, while Andrew Wiggins contributed with 25 points.
Donovan Mitchell scored 20 points with nine assists, Rudy Gobert had 20 points and 19 rebounds while Bojan Bogdanovic netted 20 points including four triples for the Jazz who had won six in a row.
The result improves the Warriors to 28-7 while the Jazz are 26-10 in the Western Conference.
DeRozan does it again
DeMar DeRozan became the first player to hit a game-winning buzzer beater in successive games since 1997-98 as the Chicago Bulls won 120-119 over the Washington Wizards. DeRozan finished with 28 points, nine rebounds and five assists, while Zach LaVine had 35 points for the Bulls. Bradley Beal had 27 points and 17 assists for the Wizards.
Giannis Antetokounmpo started the year with a triple-double as the Milwaukee Bucks claimed their sixth straight win, beating the New Orleans Pelicans 136-113. Antetokounmpo scored 35 points with 16 rebounds and 10 assists.
Nikola Jokic scored 34 points with 11 rebounds and Facundo Campazzo delivered 22 points and 12 assists as the Denver Nuggets won 124-111 over the Houston Rockets.
Nets beaten as stars shooting off
The Brooklyn Nets stars were back together but they were humbled by the depleted Los Angeles Clippers 120-116. Kevin Durant shot 11 of 24 from the field for his 28 points while James Harden went nine of 22 from the field. Harden did have 34 points with 12 rebounds and 13 assists.
After shooting six-of-10 from beyond the arc in Game 2, Stephen Curry was again in fine shooting touch as the series moved to Dallas, scoring 31 points on 10-of-20 shooting.
The former unanimous MVP tripped over a vendor early in the first half, but went on to overtake Mavs legend Dirk Nowitzki for career 30-point playoff games while also shooting an even 50 per cent from the perimeter, adding 11 assists and five rebounds.
The Warriors found the right balance and took care of the basketball while still assertively moving it, with only 10 turnovers and 28 assists off 38 made field goals for the game.
Five Warriors scored in double figures in the Game 3 win while the team finished with a 12-point margin for points in the paint (46-34).
It counteracted their relatively disappointing shooting performance on the night, along with a big rebounding night from the team, doubling the Mavericks in offensive rebounds (14-7) for the game.
Andrew Wiggins was critical in that respect, grabbing six offensive rebounds of his own for 11 total rebounds, along with 27 points and three assists.
The Mavs could not get anything going in the half-court and generate good attempts from the perimeter despite a high volume on home court, going 13-of-44 as a team.
Luka Doncic put up 40 points on 11-of-23 shooting along with 11 rebounds but the Warriors worked to restrict the Mavs' shooters, with Reggie Bullock and Maxi Kleber shooting a combined zero-of-12 from beyond the arc.
Curry needed a pair of three-pointers to surpass Allen's record of 2,973 and the Warriors superstar achieved the feat in the opening quarter of Tuesday's clash with the New York Knicks.
A three-time NBA champion and two-time MVP, Curry entered the history books with his 2,974th three at Madison Square Garden, where he was congratulated by Hall of Famer Allen on the sidelines.
To put Curry's achievement into context, it took the Warriors 17 seasons to hit that many three pointers after the three-point line was implemented (1979-80 to 1995-96).
Entering Tuesday's play, Curry had been averaging 27.0 points, 6.3 assists and a career-high 5.6 rebounds per game for the high-flying Warriors.
Curry has also been shooting 43.2 per cent from the field and 40.1 per cent from beyond the arc in 2021-22.
