Warriors reportedly considering resting Steph Curry vs. Pacers

Steph Curry is on the verge of setting the all-time NBA record for threes made in a career, as he sits just nine triples away from current record-holder Ray Allen. With the Golden State Warriors about to embark on a five-game road trip, it’s fairly safe to say that Curry will break the record on the road, but it’s been a discussion over the last week as to where the ideal location would be.

There’s a chance that Curry sets the record on Saturday when the Dubs visit his brother Seth and the Philadelphia 76ers. He’d need to make 10 threes against Philly to make history, which is something he’s done 22 different times in his career.

But while Curry has certainly proved capable of making 10 threes in a game, he’s much more likely to make fewer than 10 — something he’s done 876 times throughout his career.

He’s averaging 5.5 made threes per game this season, which means the most probable scenario is that he breaks the record in the next game that he plays after leaving Philly. Unfortunately the schedule makers decided for the Dubs next contest to be against ... the Indiana Pacers.

How boring.

But rejoice! According to a report from Marc Stein, the Warriors are considering resting Curry for Monday’s game against the Pacers. That would set him up for a much more dramatic record-setting performance against the New York Knicks.

It would be poetic for Curry to set the record in New York. In this era of basketball, the three-point record is one of the most prestigious accomplishments possible, and Madison Square Garden is the mecca of basketball. Curry’s arrival on the superstar scene came in 2013, when he dropped 54 in New York. And there’s always the element of Curry reportedly hoping he’d fall to the Knicks with the No. 8 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft ... one slot after the Warriors.

He seems fine with how that played out now.

Golden State would certainly be exhibiting a sense of the moment if they held Curry out of Monday’s game, but it would also be a defensible move with or without the record in sight. The Dubs are trying to ensure that they don’t wear out their superstar this season, and the Pacers and Knicks games are a back-to-back. The only other time the Warriors have had a road back-to-back this year came in mid-November, when they faced the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons on consecutive nights — and Curry rested for one of those games, too.

Curry is currently averaging 34.2 minutes per game, a mark that is tied with the 2020-21 season and the 2015-16 season for his highest average since Steve Kerr took over as head coach. A little rest could surely help him as he makes a push to become just the ninth player in NBA history with three MVP trophies.

And it would make for some compelling TV, too.