Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski crossed at half speed on Tuesday’s final possession, and Stephen Curry set a back screen for Kuminga as he went away. No misunderstanding. Curry was covered by Eric Gordon as he and Jordan Goodwin easily switched. Dario Šarić remained still. Podziemski watched after flashing to the top.

After three seconds, the Warriors needed Curry to step up. Curry raced to the top down three with 9.4 seconds left and the Suns likely to foul when he caught the ball. Gordon hovered behind. Curry turned to shoot, his feet not facing the rim, to get off the game-tying 3 before the foul with his back to the basket.

“That wasn’t even an option for the play,” Curry told reporters after the game. “I was a pressure relief trying to misdirect.”

Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, and Kevon Looney watched from the bench. Draymond Green prepared for another ejection in the locker room. Gary Payton II wore street clothes. No proven ride-or-dies were with Curry. The other best option was Chris Paul, the inbounder who could prevent another late-game turnover.

A little movement. Single-screen setup. Really, no chance. Curry’s nighttime shooting finished with a frozen rope clanking off the rim.

After losing 119-116 to Phoenix, Curry looked more alone than usual.

Was here before. Specifically 2020-21. However, Thompson’s injury recovery and Jordan Poole’s playmaking appearance brought help. Curry stated, “You don’t want to see us next year,” after Memphis double-teamed him at halfcourt and eliminated him from the 2021 Play-In Tournament.

The Warriors answered with their fourth era title in 2022. That was 18 months ago. Returning to a desert-like environment. Six straight road losses. Another heartbreaking loss after a double-digit lead. Another squad with the Warriors’ number. The Suns, without Kevin Durant and two other starters, defeated the Warriors for the third time this season.

The Warriors left Phoenix’s woes unsolved. Green is facing another league penalty after being embroiled in controversy. Thompson looked irritated after his first end-of-game benching and played like he couldn’t handle his No. 2 scoring role. Wiggins mysteriously lost his game. Often unplayable Looney. Chaos has reached its climax. Seasonal valley came in Valley of the Sun.

Curry helps just in reserves. That’s competitive but not enough to threaten a heavy Western Conference. The Warriors were the 11th seed Wednesday, 3.5 games behind a top 6 seed and avoided the Play-In. Most top teams have active All-Stars.

His teammates have abandoned Curry in a league dominated by brilliance. The Warriors must determine if this is a momentary breakup or the end of a legendary marriage.

Curry contributed to this situation. He wanted the championship party to continue. He wanted more veterans and less youth instability. The Warriors signed Green to a four-year agreement, traded Poole for Paul, and added veterans to the rotation instead of two-way players.

They wanted to avoid development interfering with another title. Their knowledge pales in comparison to youth’s vigor. Curry and his championship teammates wanted to remain with what worked. After resisting evolution, they confront declining returns on experience. Curry must lead their new dysfunction. Loyalty created this solitude.

“We need everybody,” Curry remarked. All players must perform at the expected level. We lose if it fails. Quite straightforward. That’s our situation. Together, we must play better. We must play better individually. Be ready to adapt to whatever you’re given, whatever minutes, whatever rotation. That will be our team challenge.”

Seven weeks before the trade deadline, the Warriors can do anything to aid their star. Curry magic is the sole solution for a month or two. His challenge is to do it against a resolute defense that will do anything to neutralize his production, as the rest of the league is content and essentially begging for other Warriors to beat them.

He cannot go 1-for-8 in the fourth quarter as he did Tuesday against Phoenix. When cold, he can’t content himself with 3s or making the appropriate double-team play. That’s not his privilege. It may change over the season. But the Warriors need that now to avoid a huge hole. It might exhaust their 35-year-old star. However, other methods have failed.

The Warriors won 10 games with Curry averaging 31.6 points on 54.4 percent shooting. He scores nearly six 3-pointers to win. He averaged 26.9 points on 40.5 percent shooting in 11 losses, missing two due to injury. Within 12 attempts, he averages one less made 3.

Microscopically, the situation is larger. Curry averaged 9.9 points in the fourth quarter in the Warriors’ 10 wins, shooting 56.9% on 5.1 shots. In their 11 losses, he averaged 5.0 points on 4.8 shots, shooting 28.3%.

Curry has 73 clutch points in 57 critical minutes, second only to Damian Lillard in Milwaukee (74). Curry shoots 48.8% in the clutch, including 12/26 from 3. The Warriors are 9-7 in clutch games because Thompson, their second-leading scorer late in close games, has scored 20 points in 56 critical minutes on 25% shooting, tied for 50th in clutch points. After him is Podziemski with 17 points, tied for 68th with Cleveland’s Darius Garland and others. He only played 13 minutes of crucial time.

Results are what they are. Curry remarked, “the urgency around our team, we feel it for sure.” Things must alter to bring us where we want to go.

He should deliver more. Competing with a roster lacking an interior offensive presence, one ball-handling playmaker, and two reliable shooters in Šarić and Moses Moody is challenging. Podziemski should be included, despite his smaller sample. Any rotating decision to help Curry on offensively sacrifices defense.

Curry’s brilliance or nothing was shown again in Tuesday’s loss at Phoenix. Winning and losing, salvaging the season or burning another year of his eliteness, are unique. All on Curry. He must carry this burden alone until the rest figure out their issues or management can get aid.