Can the Warriors Stop the Slide and Spark a Bounce-Back?
Golden State has dropped three games in a row, and instead of turning towards consecutive victories since Stephen Curry’s return, they have headed in the wrong direction. In Curry’s first game back, the Warriors missed a chance to stay on track at home against a Timberwolves team that was without their superstar guard in Anthony Edwards. Golden State’s leader showed that he hadn’t missed a step, but his 39 points weren’t enough to overcome Minnesota’s resistance. The Warriors proceeded to drop their next contest to a team that seems to be their kryptonite this season, losing to the Blazers for the third time in three matchups. Coach Steve Kerr’s team had plenty of time to regroup from that 136-131 defeat, having three days of rest before lacing their shoes up again this past Thursday against the Phoenix Suns. Ultimately, the Warriors didn’t do enough to maintain their first half advantage and lost a narrow one, 99-98.
During these three losses, a few common trends have emerged that Golden State will need to refine to get back on winning ways. Looking at the positive side, the team has stayed close in each contest and has not played badly enough to warrant a blowout. If that’s the case, why are they winless in these last three games? For one, despite having molded their defense into the fourth-best defensive rating leaguewide, crunch time has been a letdown. For instance, fouling Jordan Godwin on a putback attempt with the game tied at 98 cost the Warriors a chance to take down Phoenix in overtime. In the fourth quarter of their loss to the Timberwolves, Golden State suffered a 12-2 run that allowed Minnesota to get a firm hold of the lead. Not locking down on their opponent when it matters most has cost Kerr’s team dearly as of late.
Switching gears to the offensive side, elite scoring can only go so far without support. Yes, certain role players like Brandin Podziemski have had a few performances, perhaps more than expected, worthy of praise. However, it feels like the contributors alternate in stepping up. Obviously, this doesn’t happen on purpose, but rarely have the Warriors gotten multiple role players to significantly impact the same game. Without such consistency, it’ll be difficult for both fans and key players to rely on the supporting cast, and more weight will fall on the shoulders of an aging Warrior Big Three.
Lastly, the Achilles’ heel of turnover has once again resurfaced. In their loss at Phoenix, the Warriors turned the ball over 20 times, which resulted in 30 of the Suns' 99 points. As mentioned in previous articles, the Warriors have oftentimes struggled to take care of the basketball under Kerr, and just as they seemed to have put that behind them this season, this issue struck again. I believe that if, and only if, Golden State improves these three deficits, they can get back up to a .500 record in a short time. They’ll have their first chance to do so tonight in a rematch of Thursday’s game against Devin Booker and the Suns.
