The Warriors nearly beat the Pelicans tonight without three of their star players, but they came up short by four points (109-113) down the stretch to lose this close game.
Following the game, Steve Kerr spoke to the media and admitted that he felt it wasn’t just an issue down the stretch but an issue of bad offensive execution.
“I don’t know that down the stretch is what got us. It was just the full, you know, 48 minutes. 21 turnovers. We did not execute very well offensively.”
“Spacing was bad. We, in transition we had probably three potential layups in the first half, and we didn’t run. We didn’t cut to the rim. We didn’t get to the corners. Um, so we just looked a little disjointed.”
“I thought their pressure early took us out of some stuff. But the game was right there for us. We just couldn’t execute well enough, and you know, with the injuries we have to play well to win. You know we have to play well, and I don’t think we played well tonight,” said a frustrated Kerr.
“So not really. No, it just never felt like there was a flow to the game. Even sometimes you, you know, when you can get an open three in it, and yes, it’s a good shot, but if there’s no rhythm and flow to the game, then you’re not going to shoot it as well,” said Kerr while criticizing the quality of three-point shots the team took tonight.
The Warriors were 11-of-45 from three-point range as a team, which is below 25% efficiency from range (24.4 3P%). Clearly, the team missed Stephen Curry tonight, who has been out for an extended absence after suffering from runner’s knee.
“Well, we showed pockets of it in the second half. Our off-ball stuff was pretty good. We got some layups. Um, but you know, some of the decision-making really hurt us. Too many turnovers and just never quite, you know, found the rhythm that we needed,” Kerr concluded on how the team could’ve found a better rhythm tonight.
The only positive takeaway from tonight is De’Anthony Melton’s performance. The 27-year-old guard had 28 points to lead all scorers for the Warriors tonight. He also had four rebounds, three assists, and one steal while shooting 8-21 from the field (38.1 FG%).
Other than Melton, arguably, the rest of the team was in disarray. Two players, Brandin Podziemski and Quinten Post, almost fought because they had a disagreement over the offensive execution. Clearly, the Warriors need to figure out where their steady offense will come from in Curry’s absence and stick to their fundamentals better.
This loss cost the Warriors as they fell to 30-28 for the season. They are now headed to Memphis to face the Grizzlies tomorrow. It will be interesting to see if they make any changes to their execution strategy tomorrow or if they stick to a similar approach until their star players return to action.
