The Golden State Warriors fell to one of their ugliest losses of the season against the New Orleans Pelicans, as a 36-point blowout loss ended with them falling to 17-20 on the year. With the Jazz beating the Nuggets, they’re officially 1.5 games behind the 10th seed in the West.
They’ve recently gone 2-5 in their seven-game homestand, a disastrous outcome for a team that needed to consolidate wins. Steve Kerr bluntly revealed the team is low on confidence and spirit.
“We’re lacking confidence. You get to a stage sometimes where you kind of lose your belief. It happens. That’s what’s happened right now with our tram in the last few days. We’ve lost the spirit and confidence that has to carry you against talented teams.”
"I think we've just lost the spirit and the confidence that has to carry you."
Steve Kerr following tonight's loss to the Pelicans pic.twitter.com/0KpoqvlBy2
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) January 11, 2024
The Warriors were booed by their home arena, a drastic fall from grace for the franchise that won a title just a year and a half ago. The most successful team of the last decade is on its last legs, with Stephen Curry going through a major slump, Klay Thompson unable to find the shooting that made him one of the league’s best, and Andrew Wiggins becoming a shell of the player that was crucial in their 2022 title run.
The playoff race may fall out of Golden State’s reach if they can’t make a comeback soon. The impending return of Draymond Green provides some relief, but this year’s problems seem much bigger than what a motivated Green will be able to fix.
Steve Kerr Thinks The Warriors Are Fragile
The Warriors on the court look deflated on their home court. They played with very little energy and looked like a lottery team that was getting blown out by a playoff contender. There are many bad losses in Golden State’s season, but this loss is arguably the worst and something that the team hopes kickstarts a run.
Kerr as a coach should challenge his team for playing such lethargic basketball, but understands that now is not the time to do that. He said he and the team were fragile right now and that screaming at his players would yield little to no benefit.
“As a coach, it’s a delicate balance. When we’re fragile like we are right now, I don’t think screaming and yelling at them is going to work. I’m trying to keep their confidence up, I’m trying to encourage them. At some point, that may have to change. We can’t go on like this – two straight games, noncompetitive at home. We have to find some fight. We may have to resort to some different tactics.”
"When we're fragile like we are right now, I don't think that screaming and yelling at them is going to help."
Kerr after tonight's loss 😬 pic.twitter.com/oOawBzp1dK
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) January 11, 2024
The Warriors are not known for making big trades during the season, with last year’s deal to acquire Gary Payton II being one of the first times they’ve made tangible moves close to the deadline. This year, it’s clear as day that they have to make a major move to reset the energy in the locker room and make a late-season run for the playoffs.
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