Steve Kerr openly criticized the shorthanded Golden State Warriors following their defeat against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Warriors, playing without the injured Stephen Curry and the suspended Draymond Green, faced their fifth consecutive loss with a 128-109 score, underscoring the team’s ongoing struggles in scoring and offensive fluidity.
The predictable nature of the Warriors’ defeat was exacerbated by their key absences, particularly Curry and Green. Despite the disheartening performance, Golden State managed to exploit the Thunder’s vulnerability in rebounding. The Warriors secured 20 offensive rebounds, showcasing a notable 36.4% offensive rebound rate, surpassing their season-long average.
The Thunder, ranking 29th in defensive rebounding rate, opted for a unique lineup strategy with Chet Holmgren as the sole traditional big surrounded by four guards. This approach played to the Warriors’ advantage on the offensive glass but did little to stem the overall offensive onslaught from Oklahoma City.
While the Warriors demonstrated resilience on the boards, Kerr emphasized that this tenacity did not necessarily extend to their defensive efforts. The Thunder capitalized on Golden State’s defensive lapses, resulting in an impressive offensive rating of 128.0 points per game for Oklahoma City. Kerr’s post-game comments underscore the pressing need for the Warriors to address both ends of the court to reverse their current losing streak.
“We got to be grittier. We got show more spark and energy defensively. We got to put up a better fight. It just felt like they got anything they wanted. We had a lot of miscommunications on pick-and-roll coverages,” he said. “Anytime you’re in a rut like this—we’re obviously in it right now, five losses in a row. So when you’re in that state there’s only one way out, and that’s to dig your way out of it and you got to fight and compete, and that’s what we have to do.”
The Thunder impose an immense offensive challenge on opposing defenses, leading the league in drives and strategically utilizing a floor-spacing lineup featuring five shooters. They consistently execute diverse ball-screen actions with different players, creating a formidable dynamic that proves especially challenging for the Golden State Warriors in the absence of Draymond Green. Green, renowned as one of the league’s premier switch defenders, possesses an innate ability to provide support and communicate effectively, mitigating the impact of teammates’ mistakes.
With Green sidelined for four more games, the Thunder return to Chase Center on Saturday night, posing a potential defensive hurdle for the Warriors. While an infusion of defensive grit and intensity may be crucial for Golden State to break their losing streak, the challenge is compounded by the uncertainty surrounding Stephen Curry’s availability and Klay Thompson’s struggles reaching a low point. In the absence of these key offensive contributors, the Warriors may need an extraordinary defensive effort to avoid consecutive losses against the Thunder.