The Warriors suffered a frustrating 130-127 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night at Chase Center, adding to a list of winnable games Golden State let slip away this season.
Coach Steve Kerr discussed the re-occurring style of Warriors’ losses after the game, explaining his understanding of the NBA’s ebbs and flows.
“We’ve had a few [gut-punches] this year. But, you know, it’s part of being in the league,” Kerr told reporters. “Everybody’s got amazing talent and great coaching. And these games all come down to the hour it feels like, for us this year.
“We’ve probably lost four or five that we should’ve won. Maybe we’ve won one or two that we shouldn’t have. Yeah, these are gut-punches for sure.”
Against the defending champion Nuggets, the Warriors lost a game where they held an 18-point lead and got 54 points combined from Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.
Golden State’s role players showed up big-time, too, as Dario Šarić, Brandin Podziemski and Jonathan Kuminga combined for 42 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds.
Yet, the Warriors’ loss wasn’t surprising.
Through 34 games, Golden State has had a problem closing the deal, particularly late in games.
As a result, the Warriors have lost four games where they’ve had leads of 17 points or more, putting the team atop one of the league’s most unfavorable statistics.
While there’s a lot basketball left to be played this season, Golden State must quickly change its ways.
Nikola Jokić’s 39-foot game-winner moved the Warriors to 1-4 in their last five and 16-18 overall, and 0.5 games back of the Western Conference’s 10th seed.
The Warriors host James Wiseman and the struggling Detroit Pistons on Friday at 7 p.m., a prime opportunity to get back into the win column, especially at home, where Golden State is 10-9.