Adejected Stephen Curry faced the media in a subdued manner following the Golden State Warriors’ third straight loss — 132-122 — to Luka Doncic at home on December 30 as they slid to 11th in the Western Conference.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr shook up his starting lineup anew, inserting Chris Paul to help Curry amid a shooting slump, and rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis to shore up their defense.
But the move did not yield the desired result.
“It’s the nature of this team,” Curry told reporters after the loss. “It’s kind of materialized throughout the year. We’ve experimented a lot. Some for forced reasons. Some for us searching for an identity of what are our strengths and playing into that, and we haven’t found that.”
Curry continued to struggle to find his rhythm despite leading the Warriors in scoring. He finished with 25 points but only shot 9-of-25 from the floor. During this Warriors three-game skid, Curry is just shooting an uncharacteristic 31% from the floor and from deep.
The constant shuffling of the Warriors lineup is taking its toll.
“It’s frustrating for sure. We’re 32 games in. And, any team that is a seriously competitive contender, a good team, can usually answer that question. So, we have to get to that point for sure, before it’s too late,” Curry warned.
Big Games to Open New Year
At 15-17, the Warriors are one game behind the Houston Rockets for the last spot in the play-in tournament.
After losing the first two games of their current seven-game homestand, the Warriors will open the new year with back-to-back tough games before a very winnable game against the Detroit Pistons, the league’s worst team, on January 5.
But will they have enough gas left against the lowly Pistons on the second night of a back-to-back schedule after facing the rising Orlando Magic team on January 2 and the defending champion Denver Nuggets on January 4?
The Magic have the length and size that oftentimes made the Warriors uncomfortable this season. The Nuggets beat Kerr’s perfectly laid-out plan last week with Nikola Jokic’s 18-of-18 trip at the foul line and Jamal Murray’s brilliance in crunch time.
Steve Kerr Questions Warriors’ Grit
Steve Kerr knows what ails the Warriors as they continue to break down in moments they were so used to winning in the past.
“We haven’t found that grit that every good team needs where you pull together and you just play for the group,” Kerr told reporters after the loss. “We’re not there yet. And that’s a problem. We’ve got great guys. I love every one of them. But until this team really connects in a way that is solely dedicated to winning each and every game, then we’re going to be stuck in this place.”
But despite having the proper diagnosis, he is having a hard time curing the maladies that have been sinking the once-dynasty this season like Saturday night against the Mavericks.
“The defense struggled all night,” Kerr said. “I mean, they scored 132 points and we just couldn’t stop them. Offensively, we were fine. You score 122, that should be enough.”
Will Kerr roll another starting lineup this new year?