Make it make sense.
After struggling to defend on the level of assault in current video games, the Golden State Warriors made it a degree to assault and disrupt the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday evening. Their zone units pressured the Nuggets into 18 turnovers and scored 24 factors off of these turnovers to construct a 16-point lead.
That was till the Warriors collapsed and imploded down the stretch, falling to the Nuggets 117-116 on a walk-off game-winning three from Monte Morris. Listed here are some observations from the Warriors’ fourth loss in 5 video games.
Miscues within the clutch
With 5.9 seconds left in regulation and the sport on the road, Denver ran a submit entry for Nikola Jokic. Kevon Looney, taking part in with 5 fouls, was Jokic’s main defender. Stephen Curry determined to be a assist defender and doubled Jokic, leaving Morris open.
“I took the bait and made a dumb learn,” Curry stated. “I used to be a step late pondering the clock had run down sufficient solely the place it was his alternative to shoot. He make a terrific go and I noticed the place I used to be and tried to contest the shot.”
Curry’s determination to assist Looney wasn’t the one miscue right here. What’s value noting on this sequence is Curry’s positioning.
MONTE MORRIS WINS IT FOR DENVER AT THE BUZZER 🚨🚨🚨 pic.twitter.com/NHTxpZWeEI
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 17, 2022
After the submit entry to Jokic, Curry ought to have stayed with Morris, and stayed at dwelling on the perimeter.
If the Warriors needed to gamble, they might have accomplished so with Wiggins offering weakside assist, which might have prevented the go to Morris. Additionally, Otto Porter Jr. might have stayed on Morris as a substitute of pushing him off initially, however doing so would have left Curry on Aaron Gordon.
Coulda, woulda, shouldas apart, it was a mistake to double group and the Warriors paid for it.
Hack-A-Loon
Already over the foul restrict, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone dared Looney to win the sport by placing him on the free-throw line and daring him to make photographs. The technique made sense, Curry and Thompson have been on the ground and the Nuggets didn’t need any a part of them on the road. So why not choose on Looney, a 63.1 % shooter from the stripe? The gamble paid off.
“They did a terrific job executing down the stretch, and we simply wanted them to make another play and so they made the play and we didn’t,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr stated.
Looney missed 4 of six free throws down the stretch. Looney was reportedly down on himself within the moments after the sport, feeling as if he was liable for the loss. Kerr assured Looney that the loss wasn’t on him.
“We are able to all look within the mirror and take blame. Myself included,” he stated. “I made some choices that didn’t work out. We missed some open photographs that would have sealed the sport. We turned it over eight occasions within the second half. Whenever you begin desirous about all of these issues, it’s by no means only one play. It’s all the time a collection of performs.”
For Curry, his perspective is that there’s all the time one other likelihood to wipe the slate clear and this recreation doesn’t negate Looney’s influence all through the season.
“You get one other alternative. We belief in what he does and he’s supplied a lot for us all 12 months,” Curry says of Looney. “We’re not going to harp on one recreation. He is aware of that. As a competitor, you are taking it fairly laborious once you don’t play the way in which that you simply need to.”
The protection understood the task
Through the previous 5 video games, the Warriors’ protection has been out of sync. What propelled their earlier nine-game successful streak started to indicate some slippage. The Warriors’ lack of measurement has been nicely documented and because the season heads into the buyout interval, it would proceed to be a nicely mentioned concern amongst followers. Kerr cites slipping on the level of assault because the dominant problem, which is one thing that may be managed.
Within the curiosity of offering a defensive spark, Kerr determined to start out Gary Payton II. Payton was unquestionably the catalyst that Kerr and the Warriors anticipated him to be. Not solely did he have a powerful block on Jokic within the first half, he additionally paved the way with a group excessive of six steals.
The Warriors have been conscious of not getting misplaced on rotations till the second half. They defended and contested with self-discipline as they pressured 18 turnovers. If there was a constructive takeaway on this loss, it was how nicely the Warriors defended for a lot of the recreation.
“I used to be thrilled with the way in which we performed in comparison with the previous couple of video games,” Kerr stated. “I believed we have been engaged. We competed. I instructed the fellows that if we continued to play with that form of struggle and connection, we might be in fine condition after the break.”