Late-game scoring problem leads Warriors to ‘mediocre’ performance originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
After a promising start to the season, helped by a considerably overhauled roster, the Warriors fell back into their two worst trends from last season.
Turnovers, which are the subject of incessant discussions.
And the late-game collapses.
Both were on display Wednesday evening in a 91-90 defeat against the Rockets at the Toyota Center. It was the last loss in which the Warriors were on their way to victory before turning back to defeat. These finishes can take a toll on the gut and perhaps the mind.
If Golden State’s coaching staff and staff cannot get their act together and shake this debilitating pattern, the NBA playoffs, formerly the “Warriors Invitational,” will go ahead without them for a second straight season .
“The trend of scoreless droughts down the stretch has to be corrected, otherwise we’re going to be a mediocre team,” Stephen Curry told reporters in Houston. “I take responsibility for not being able to organize ourselves or not being able to finish the pieces. The ball is in my hands, I have to shoot.
“But I think we can all approach certain sets that can give us better shot creation opportunities, knowing how teams are trying to guard us, especially in the last five minutes.”
The latest debacle came after the Warriors laid an egg in the first half and turned it into gold for most of the second. They trailed by 14 points in the second quarter, but rallied to lead by seven points with 3:38 to play.
The offense then stabilized with poor execution, missed shots and turnovers in the final minutes. The Warriors committed 22 turnovers, giving Houston 30 points. Seven of those giveaways came in the fourth quarter, giving Houston 14 of its 23 points in the quarter.
“It’s our fault,” coach Steve Kerr said. “We didn’t score. We had a turnover on a pass from Draymond (Green) to (Jonathan Kuminga). We did a great job taking care of the ball after that first quarter which was a disaster. Dray needs to make a good decision there. He took the risk of throwing it to JK. He has to give the ball back to Steph (Curry) on this. He knows. He feels bad in there.
“And I could have done a better job of moving us into something different, to try to free Steph or JK. So we all take it. We all participated in this one.
Kerr was rightly furious with some officials, particularly one end-of-game call that defied the path the match was refereed for more than 47 minutes. But it’s not a model. Or even a developing trend.
Generously distributing turnovers throughout the game and falling into untimely offensive droughts are more than a trend. They have taken the next step, a pattern, and are moving towards a habit.
“We can talk about refs all day,” Curry said. “That’s not why we lost.”
Beating the Rockets 52-38 in the first 20 minutes of the second half, only to be outscored 9-1 in crunch time, was a reminder of what has happened too often for the Warriors over the past nine games, seven of which ended 9-1. they eat the L.
An 11-point lead over Denver with 6:13 left turned into a four-point loss on December 3. Scoring five points in the final 5:45 doomed them against the Thunder on November 27, and it came two days after a three-point deficit with 3:26 left became an eight-point loss to Brooklyn.
This came two days after the Warriors dominated 16-4 in the final 5:22 in San Antonio on November 23.
The Warriors have played 15 “deciding games” this season and lost eight, including six of the last seven. They were 24-24 in those games last season and missed the playoffs.
“We talk about it,” Curry said. “We are experimenting. This is going to be a defining point of our full season, whether we make it or not, because we’re playing well enough to win most games.
“It’s a good sign and a bad sign.”
The trend, which evolves into habit, is a very bad sign. That’s about as concerning as it gets for a team that intends to make the playoffs and then pose a legitimate threat to the league’s elite.
