With just 3:22 remaining the fourth quarter on Sunday night, the Golden State Warriors trailed the Denver Nuggets 110-98. The Warriors then ripped off a 12-2 run to finish the game, ultimately coming up short against the Nuggets 112-110.
Following the defeat in Denver, head coach Steve Kerr discussed the team’s near comeback, name-dropping Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson in the process.
“I love the way our guys finished the game, we gave ourselves a chance,” Kerr said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “Steph made a great pass to Klay, he back rims a 3 with a chance to win. So the guys really fought those last four minutes but from mid-second quarter until those last four minutes, we were mindless out there.”
Though Golden State’s man in charge was excited by the fight his team showed towards the end, he wasn’t pleased with their performance throughout the game as a whole. He shared his frustration regarding the Warriors’ “mindless” play that got them down in the first place.
“In the second quarter, we had total control of the game and we stopped playing and we just lost our focus at both ends,” Kerr continued. “Gave up a ton of offensive rebounds, missed box outs. Offensively, had several mindless possessions in a row, throwing the ball away, a bunch of shot turnovers, just bad shots… We weren’t tough enough, not disciplined enough and ultimately didn’t deserve to win the game.”
Donte DiVincenzo Speaks Up After Warriors Lose to Nuggets
Much like his head coach, Dubs guard Donte DiVincenzo had some criticism for his squad after the game. The former Villanova-star brought attention to Golden State’s lack of urgency at times, saying that they need to “look in the mirror.”
“Ultimately, you have to look at yourself in the mirror,” DiVincenzo said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “If you’re out there playing this game and you’re waiting for somebody else to tell you — excuse my language — get your head out of your ass, that’s not going to work. It’s not going to win games. So you have to look at yourself in the mirror, and you’ve got to start from within.”We have great leaders, and I think we rely on those leaders big time. But everybody outside of that, we have to come together as well. Because that’s a lot of responsibility on three, four of those guys, and I think we’ll take them to a new level when everybody else sticks together and uplifts them as well.”
Stephen Curry Wants Warriors to Improve Ahead of Playoffs
Curry had a similar message to both Kerr and DiVincenzo. He called for the Warriors to execute at a higher level throughout the course of games.
“So it’s just a matter of executing, being mindful of what it takes to win that particular game that night, maintain our momentum that we’ve worked hard to create in the first half, but weren’t able to do it,” he said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “Still, the grit and the fight allows us to be one shot away from stealing a game we had no business being in. But we got to come to a realization like if we’re going to win or do anything in a playoff kind of scenario, a game like tonight can’t happen.”
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Steve Kerr Name-Drops Steph Curry & Klay Thompson After Warriors Fall to Nuggets