The Warriors have been preaching positivity despite their early-season tailspin. We heard rose-colored statements after their loss to the veteran-laden Miami Heat on Tuesday night, as they dropped a 116-109 contest to go 0-3 on the current road trip.
So when the Warriors were up by 16 early in the third quarter against the Orlando Magic on Thursday night, it finally looked like they got the boogieman off their back for road games. About that.
Despite trotting out a shorthanded team full of college-aged kids and sporting a 1-7 record entering the contest, the young Magic outclassed the Warriors in the second half and handed them their fourth straight road loss, a heartbreaking 130-129 defeat.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr admitted Thursday that it’s time to switch up the second unit.
“Our starting group looks good,” Kerr said. “They’ve got one of the best net ratings in the league, if not the best. We’ve gotta find combinations that work off the bench. We’ll be making some changes. We’ve gotten a look at a few different combos and it’s time to look at a couple more.”
As has been a theme all season long, each of the Warriors starters registered a positive plus/minus ranking, while Ty Jerome (+3) was the only reserve who wasn’t in the negative.
By the eyeball test, it seems like the combination of James Wiseman and Jordan Poole is a defensive nightmare for the Dubs. Wiseman is still finding out the pace of the NBA game and Poole hasn’t shown like he’s made much strides in defending, as Kerr hopes. Both players are often caught out of position and have to resort to fouling. According to NBA.com, Poole and/or Wiseman are playing in 15 of the Warriors’ worst 16 two-man combos (minimum 35 minutes played) when it comes to net rating this season.
Jonathan Kuminga received his third DNP (did not play) of the season, so you have to wonder if he’ll be getting more run off the bench.
The Splash Brothers combined for 66 points and 15 3-pointers made – as Klay Thompson finally had the breakout game he’d been waiting for with 27 points and seven made 3’s. They both hit trifectas in the final minute to keep the game tense to its waning moments, but Klay’s final shot attempt from the baseline rimmed out and the Magic held on for a 1-point victory.
In reality, it never should have come to that. The Warriors shot themselves in the foot with frequent fouls, as the Magic were aggressive and got to the line, shooting 46 free throws compared to Golden State’s 15. The Warriors defense was porous in the second half, allowing the Magic to pile up 77 points after the break and erase the 16-point deficit.
“I’ll say this again, we have to improve our defense,” Draymond Green said. “Klay Thompson and Steph Curry shot 15-of-30 from 3. That right there alone is good enough for us to win a game.”
Curry said the Warriors’ defense experiences a drop off when Draymond and Kevon Looney aren’t on the floor. The other teams can smell blood.
“Honestly, our biggest thing is just a lack of communication,” Curry said. “You have two guys that can talk a lot – Draymond and Loon. They’ve been around, they know, they have confidence in what they’re saying. They’re loud with it. Our biggest thing, in pointing out our youth, is being demonstrative on the court. Communication not only helps you (on defense), but it affects the offensive team because they feel like you’re all together, tied together. It makes them think a little bit. When it gets quiet out there, it’s tough to have confidence you’re doing the right thing, in the right spot”.
As magnificent as Curry was scoring – he dropped a season-high 39 points on 13-of-22 from the field and 8-of-15 from distance – he had some sloppy passes and fouls in key moments. Draymond also fouled out, while Loon and JaMychal Green each finished the contest with five fouls.
It’s not like this was just a problem Thursday night. Golden State’s 23.1 fouls per game is third-highest in the league.
“The mentality has to kick in at some point,” Kerr said. “This isn’t a case of our new guys or young guys fouling. It’s everybody.
There’s no rest for the Dubs, as their brutal five-game, eight-day road trip will come to an end Friday night, when they face the Pelicans in New Orleans on the second leg of a back-to-back.
“We’re all competitors,” Curry said. “We all expect to win games like this. We expect to play better, especially on the road. But you have to be accountable to what that is. Obviously, the biggest thing is not pointing fingers. Not gonna get anything done doing that. It’s a collective group that has to figure it out.”
