Getty Dario Saric #20 of the Golden State Warriors grabs a rebound between Fred VanVleet #5 of the Houston Rockets and Alperen Sengun #28.
Dario Saric is on his fifth team in the NBA with the Golden State Warriors. But there’s nothing quite like the Warriors’ culture he’s experiencing right now.
“[The losing streak] made us closer,” Saric said on the NBC postgame show after the Warriors snapped a six-game losing skid. “After the game [against the Oklahoma City Thunder], we go into court and we try and figure out like what we did defensively wrong and I’ve never seen that in any team.”
It all starts with Stephen Curry, the team’s superstar, who warned them against developing a losing mentality that “stinks” in the locker room. The rest of the team heeded him.
The Warriors got back on the winning track in their 121-115 win over the Houston Rockets on Monday, November 20. Saric played a key role, producing 18 points, five rebounds and two assists, one steal and a block off the bench.
The Croatian journeyman was part of the Warriors’ closing lineup. A pick-and-roll with Chris Paul led to Saric’s two free throws with 1:12 left. It extended the Warriors’ lead to nine, 117-108, which was enough cushion to finally get them over the hump.
“Everybody’s kind of on the same page,” said Saric, who is holding the fort while Draymond Green serves a five-game suspension. “We want to win. Obviously, everybody wants to have a good game. By the end of the day, the most important is to get wins. So, we try, we talk to each other and kind of like trying to figure it out, and now kind of like pays off, at least for one game. So, when I say we need to fix it, well, we did and we’re going to start from next game.”
Up next for Saric and the Warriors (7-8) is his former team, the Phoenix Suns (8-6), on Wednesday night. The Suns are on a four-game winning streak despite Bradley Beal’s continued absence.
Saric will have to continue to step up with Green still out.
Steve Kerr Trusts Dario Saric as Closer
Saric has flourished since Green’s ejection. Over his past four games without Green, Saric is averaging 14.3 points, 5.0 rebounds. 2.3 assists and one steal.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr values what Saric brings to the table.
“[Saric] could close any night just based on what he does offensively,” Kerr told reporters after Monday night’s win. “He just gives us a different look with his three-point shot and it spreads the defensive out, gives other guys driving lanes. So, Dario is great. He’s a hell of a player and we’re lucky to have him and he could close on any night.”
Klay Thompson Rediscovers Shooting Form
Aside from Saric’s big game off the bench, the Warriors also got a major boost from Klay Thompson.
Their starting wing snapped out of his shooting funk, drilling three 3-pointers in the first quarter en route to his first 20-point game of the season.
Kerr’s reminder worked wonders for Thompson.
“He made a couple early and then he immediately took two bad shots,” Kerr told reporters after the much-needed win. “So I did not sense it early [he’s going to break out]. I just reminded him: If you’re not open, just move it. Look at these guys on the team who will get you the ball.”