Stephen Curry sends clear directive to Warriors front office after horror loss

The Golden State Warriors sunk back to earth on Sunday at Chase Center, having followed up two-straight wins with a horror 30-point loss to the Sacramento Kings.

The Kings started the game on a 7-0 run and never looked back, leading by 15 at the end of the first period and by 24 at half-time after resisting a brief Stephen Curry-led fightback at the start of the second-quarter.

Stephen Curry has sent a clear directive to the Warriors front office

Curry looked fresh after resting on Saturday against the Memphis Grizzlies, recording 26 points and eight rebounds on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor. Unfortunately the rest of the team looked lethargic on the second night of a back-to-back, evidenced by giving up 75 first-half points against a Sacramento team that was minus All-Star guard De'Aaron Fox.

As disappointing as the defense was, it's the offense that was once again the major concern in the wake of the brutal news of Jonathan Kuminga's ankle injury. The 22-year-old is set to miss at least the next three weeks (11 games) after scans revealed a significant sprain, having come at an incredibly poor time given Kuminga had just emerged as Golden State's second go-to scorer over recent games.

There are now even more question marks on an already shaky Warrior offense, with Curry seemingly doubting his team's capability of pulling back wide margins during his post-game press conference.

"When you’re looking up and it’s a double-digit lead before the first timeout and 36-21, we’re not really built for — especially with the situation, to have that crazy comeback," Curry said (via Anthony Slater).

This is a subtle but clear sign from Curry that he is far from content with his current offensive support, particularly given Kuminga is now on the sidelines for a lengthy period. The 2x MVP knows that his team's offensive limitations means they can't afford to fall significantly behind as was the case on Sunday.

The Athletic did report Golden State's interest in Nikola Vucevic on Saturday, with the front office having seemingly put a line through 6x All-Star Jimmy Butler. Say what you want about Vucevic's defensive concerns, but the veteran big man has been a consistent 20-point per game scorer throughout his career, including this season where he's shooting 43.6% from 3-point range.

Having a skilled scorer like Vucevic is something the Warriors currently lack, even before Kuminga's untimely injury. Only two players on the roster -- Curry and Andrew Wiggins -- average more than 15.5 points for their career, while only those two (and Kuminga) average more than 12.2 points this season.

Curry wants more offensive firepower around him, with Sunday's post-game comments a clear directive to the front office to go and find it ahead of the February 6 trade deadline.