Getty Kevon Looney #5, Klay Thompson #11, Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Golden State Warriors look on from the bench.
Steve Kerr’s patience ran out in the Golden State Warriors‘ 119-116 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, December 13.
Kerr finally made the decision that he kept on postponing.
In the wake of Draymond Green’s ejection, Kerr decided to go with his second unit leaving only Stephen Curry as the starter and sparingly used Klay Thompson in the fourth quarter.
Thompson sat out the final 6:19 of the game. Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney did not leave the bench in the fourth quarter.
“I made the decision at halftime to put a different lineup out there and I felt good about it but we obviously did not follow through and play a very good second half,” Kerr told reporters when asked about the sudden lineup change in the second half.
“Our bench has been a huge positive for us all year,” Kerr said. “It seems like every game our bench has to come in and kind of rescue the game and our starting group just hasn’t been able to put it together and that’s why we’re treading water and and not finding any traction so far this season.”
Warriors Blow Another Big Lead
The loss ultimately fell on Green’s shoulders after his ejection in the third quarter sparked the Suns’ comeback with a 20-10 run. But it began to fall apart for the Warriors in the second quarter when they lost a 40-27 lead which their second unit built.
“We’ve got to be able to keep that lead and keep playing well but as soon as we went away from the bench, things kind of slipped from us so that was the reason for the the change at halftime,” Kerr explained.
“The starting group didn’t get off to a good start at the beginning of the game and didn’t have a great stretch there in the second quarter. So look we’re 10 and 13. We have to find ways to win games and so we were searching [Tuesday night].”
Warriors’ Changing of the Guard
Kerr’s searching led him to the team’s youngsters led by rookie Brandin Podziemski, who finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.
Veterans Chris Paul (15 points and 11 assists) and Dario Saric (15 points and 4 rebounds) stabilized their young, energetic second unit. Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga combined for 28 points, showing marked improvement in their play.
“I had to play the guys who were playing the best and I’ve been really patient,” an exasperated Kerr explained to reporters, “and trying to get everybody kind of organized into groups and give guys freedom and space but tonight did not feel like a night to have a lot of patience. We needed some urgency and that’s why I made the moves.”
Kerr, however, said he still doesn’t know if the change will be permanent.
“So, we’ve got to just keep searching. There’s a ton of season left and I like our players. I like our roster but we have to get guys playing with more confidence and playing in a more connected manner,” he said.
Warriors’ Margin for Error Getting Smaller
While Kerr still believes the Warriors can turn their season around, he acknowledged that Father Time is fast catching up with them.
Their margin for error is getting smaller.
“We’ve always been a little wild as a team,” Kerr said. “It’s kind of part of our identity is that we play with a lot of pace and we let it fly. And I think our guys thrive in that manner but where we are now as a team compared to five years ago, we have to win more of the little battles within the game. We’ve got to win the margins. We’ve talked about it actually since the first day of camp and we have not been able to do that.”
Their 15.8 turnover rate is 27th in the bottom four of the league. Their 22.2 fouls per game is tied for second-most in the league.
“They’re more exposed now because you know we’re not obviously as talented and as good as we were a few years ago,” Kerr said. “So we’re trying to make those adjustments and we’ll keep working at them.”