Getty/Sean Gardner Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Warriors had another forgettable night, as they were clearly outplayed. The Clippers, who are not considered a contending team, have been battling for playoff seeding near the bottom of the playoff seeding.
The Warriors were only down two at halftime thanks to the shooting of Stephen Curry. The former MVP kept the game close as he hit six of seven from downtown, 26 points at halftime.
Wiggins and Poole scored 13 apiece as the second highest scorers behind Curry’s 33. Klay Thompson shot a brutal three of 14 from the field, as he is still looking to build his consistency after almost three years off the court.
Once Curry cooled off after halftime, his team could not keep up with the Clippers for the rest of the game. Without their stars, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the Clippers tore apart the Warriors lackluster defense. The Clippers shot an astounding 56% from the field, along with a scorching 44% from three.
After the game, head coach Steve Kerr went off on the team’s inability to lock down defensively. Kerr did not hold back as he stated how this has been an ongoing problem for almost two weeks now defensively.
“The main thing is just our defense has been bad. It’s been bad for six, seven games. It’s hard to win in this league when you’re looking like we are defensively…so many holes, in our game. Tonight, it was just on-ball defense. Spent the entire game at the front of the rim, couldn’t guard our man. Last game it was box outs, back cuts—every game it’s been something different. Our defense has just been very poor, and if that’s the case it’s tough to win, so we’ve got to get better at that.”
Over the last six games, the Warriors rank in the bottom half of the league in net rating at -3.5. Per NBA.com Stats, the defensive rating within these games has been horrendous at 115.4. Overall, the team ranks first in defensive rating at 104.4—a drastic 10 point difference.
Without Draymond Green there is a glaring hole defensively, but it is evident that the team isn’t locking down defensively as a unit. Communication on the floor is something that is vital to any teams’ success, and that seemed to be lacking for the Warriors on Monday night. Curry talked to reporters after the game about certain mishaps during the game.
“A lot of possessions tonight, one guy was doing the right thing, two guys weren’t. Two guys were kinda just watching, a lot of breakdowns like that. [The] paints open. They had so many options to hurt us…
One-on-one defense, everyone is going to have to take responsibility and take the challenge. You just have to sustain the effort. We didn’t talk a lot tonight either, that’s something we’re usually pretty good at. That effects the offense too. When everybody’s on the same page, yelling, talking, and screaming on every possession—we didn’t do that tonight.”
Warriors Are Ready for the All-Star Break
As easy as it is to point fingers and highlight the struggles going on with the Warriors, let’s not forget the team is still sitting pretty with a 42-16 record, a second seed in the Western Conference.
Since early October, teams have been playing games nonstop, without much of any meaningful breaks. Surpassing the 70% mark of the regular season can be draining for some players. Just ask Kevon Looney.
“I think I need a break.” Looney says after the Clippers loss. “Everybody is looking forward to the All-Star break.”
The Warriors host the Nuggets on Wednesday, before their All-Star Break officially comes underway. Whether players are gassed or simply just need a mental break, it is evident with the body language displayed on the floor.
The team as a whole could really use an extended break from the season, and really just refuel before the real season starts. Mentally, players see the postseason as an entirely different season, so the Warriors need to make sure they are in the right mental space if they want to play deep into May, and hopefully June.