Getty Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors.
It may all count the same in the standings, but Sunday’s win was not the kind that Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr wants to savor.
The Warriors built up a 26-point lead after a red-hot first half against the Sacramento Kings, but watched it dwindle away as the starters came out and the bench struggled. The Kings pulled all the way back to within four points in the final minute before the Warriors held on to win 130-125.
After the game, Kerr aired some unusually stark criticism about the effort of his team’s second unit.
Kerr Upset After Warriors Stumble in Win
After scoring 50 points in the second quarter and building an 89-71 halftime lead against the Kings, the Warriors struggled to keep up the energy in the second half. They would score just 24 points in the third quarter and 17 in the fourth, with Kerr growing visibly upset as the second unit gave up an easy layup to cut the lead to seven points with just over nine minutes remaining in the final frame.
Kerr called a timeout after the possession and told reporters after the game that he was upset at the play of the reserves.
Steve Kerr called an angry timeout after this transition layup in the fourth quarter.
“You got a group of reserves out there and those guys should be dying to be on the floor and flying around and playing with huge energy and that was what I was upset about.”
“The main thing was just the lack of energy,” he said. “You know, you’ve got a group of reserves out there, those guys should be dying to be on the floor, and flying around and playing with huge energy. That was what I was upset about. It was a careless transition defense possession. There was no juice, no life to that group.”
Kerr added that he may not have the right answers for the struggles of the second unit, where there are a mix of veterans and young players in varying stages of development.
“We’re gonna have to find what we’re looking for in terms of energy and leadership. It’s not entirely fair to them to put all those guys together. But it’s a tough league. It’s sink or swim, and you gotta figure it out.”
After the game, the Warriors found a way to get more development for the two youngest players. Rookies Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Ryan Rollins were shipped to the Santa Cruz Warriors, the G League affiliate that begins its training camp this week.
Staters Pushed Warriors Through to Win
The Warriors were able to pull out the victory thanks to the efforts of the starting unit, namely Steph Curry. The two-time league MVP scored 33 points, including 28 in the first half. All five members of the starting unit had a double-digit positive plus-minus, led by Curry at +19. The situation was flipped for the bench, with all seven players in the minus for the Warriors.
Nothing like Steph Curry in a zone. Nothing like it.
After the game, Kerr also gave credit to the Kings for keeping the pressure on the Warriors.
“We played at times brilliantly and we couldn’t sustain it,” Kerr said, via ESPN. “It was closer than it should have been, but I give Sacramento a lot of credit. Mike’s doing a great job with those guys. They’re fighting, they’re competing. They’ve had three close losses now to start the year. … We let our guard down and they took advantage of it.”