The Golden State Warriors were handed a sizable 124-111 loss by the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night, causing the Dubs to fall to 21-19 on the season. Although Stephen Curry and the Warriors weren’t at their worst, a glaring issue in their performance sealed the loss.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr addressed the result during his post-game media availability by commenting:
“I think it was all about Atlanta. They just played a great game. We couldn’t turn them over. They shot it lights out – 32 assists, seven turnovers. I didn’t think we played poorly. I didn’t think we played that well, obviously, 10-42, we needed to shoot better. But more than anything, they just played a great game and deserved it.”
As Kerr mentioned, Golden State shot a nightmarish 10-42 (~24%) from beyond the arc, which is never a recipe for success. Even Warriors superstar Stephen Curry addressed this dreadful shooting display during his post-game press conference by stating:
“The ball didn’t have as much energy as it usually did. You’ve got to credit their defense and athleticism. They like to switch a lot, so a lot of our off-ball actions weren’t necessarily timing up right. In certain games, you can feel like you’re pressing if the ball’s not popping around, and clearly, each possession is always like, ‘That was a good shot,’ so we can obviously correct that. But they had a really good defensive effort.”
“Thought we could probably get downhill a little bit more when they were hugged up on shooters,” Curry added. “But (that’s) Monday morning quarterbacking.”
Stephen Curry noted the adjustments the team could’ve made during the game, but considering the kind of flow that had been established, there weren’t many opportunities to turn things around.
The Atlanta Hawks’ defensive effort has been praiseworthy, something both Curry and Kerr noted. With the roster’s length and athleticism being put on full display, the Hawks appear competitive despite their recent roster changes.
Stephen Curry’s Efforts Come Up Short
Like many players on the roster, Stephen Curry also struggled to get going from beyond the arc. While shooting 3-11 from three-point range, Curry was among the worst performers from the perimeter on Sunday night. In spite of this, the Warriors’ superstar found ways to be effective.
Stephen Curry eventually ended the night with a team-high 31 points, five assists, and three rebounds while shooting 11-21 from the field. His ability to create scoring opportunities for himself, especially given the circumstances, was certainly impressive.
Unfortunately, Curry’s efforts to get the team’s offense going, along with Jimmy Butler (30 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists), simply weren’t enough. With minimal contributions from the rest of the roster, including forgettable nights for Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski, the Dubs will hope to put this game behind them.
With a 6-4 record over the last 10 games, the Warriors remain stable. However, given the need to rise through the ranks of the Western Conference standings, the Dubs will have to string together a series of wins.
An upcoming game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night may present an opportunity to get started on this journey. However, given their current form, Golden State may face some challenges in securing a victory.
