Golden State Warriors drop a stinker against Bucks, lose for fourth time
in past five games
Warriors trailed by 39 at halftime but cut the deficit to 19 by the
final buzzer
>MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – JANUARY 13: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the
Milwaukee Bucks dunks against Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Golden State
Warriors during the first half of a game at Fiserv Forum on January 13,
2022 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges
and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is
consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License
Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
>MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – JANUARY 13: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the
Milwaukee Bucks dunks against Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Golden State
Warriors during the first half of a game at Fiserv Forum on January 13,
2022 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges
and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is
consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License
Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
By EVAN WEBECK | ewebeck@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: January 13, 2022 at 6:47 p.m. | UPDATED: January 14, 2022 at
4:56 a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/01/13/golden-state-warriors-drop-a-stinker-against-bucks-lose-4th-game-in-past-5/

MILWAUKEE — Steph Curry has noticed a pattern recently, and you probably
have, too. The Warriors fall into a humongous hole in the first half,
mount a furious comeback after the break, and come up just short.

Well, one of those things happened Thursday against the Milwaukee Bucks.

What was on pace to be the most lopsided loss in franchise history ended
as only the worst defeat of the season, 118-99.

“To be honest, I’m not concerned,” coach Steve Kerr said afterward.
“We’re just in a rough patch of our season. It happens to every team
every year pretty much. We’re in a bit of a rut. … We just have to get
back on track.”

The Warriors are limping into the season’s halfway point. At 30-11, they
still hold the league’s second-best record but have lost four of their
last five.

With all their success, the Warriors are almost always the recipients of
their opponents’ best effort. Klay Thompson noted as much after the
recent loss Tuesday in Memphis. But with the coin flipped Thursday,
facing the defending champions, the Warriors’ struggles only got worse.

The Warriors allowed their most points in a half this season (77) and
narrowly avoided their worst 24 minutes of scoring, too, on an Otto
Porter Jr. 3-pointer just before halftime.

“We just didn’t play with our normal identity,” said Kevon Looney, who
scored seven points and grabbed seven rebounds in a homecoming for the
Milwaukee native. “We have games where we don’t make shots like tonight,
but we’ve always relied on our defense.”

The 39-point halftime margin made for the Warriors’ largest deficit at
intermission since the franchise moved to California in 1962-63. Things
turned around slightly in the second half to avoid the worst defeat in
franchise history, too.

A sign of the times: Thompson found himself wide open from beyond the
arc early in the third quarter without a defender even closing in on
him. He bricked the shot, the fifth in a string of seven straight misses
by the sharpshooter. He finished 3-for-11 from the field (2-for-7 for 3)
for 11 points in his third game back from a two-season absence. He won’t
play Friday at Chicago in the second of back-to-back games.

Curry was limited to 12 points, tied with two other games for his
second-lowest scoring total of the season.

Thompson’s return was supposed to inject some life into a troubled
Warriors offense, but their problems scoring the ball have only been
exacerbated since he joined the rotation.

Against the Bucks, the Warriors were held to 34.7% from the field, their
fourth straight game shooting below 43% and their worst mark of the
season. Only in the second half did their assists (20) begin to eclipse
their turnovers (15).

“I think we’ve lost a little confidence as a group. You could see we had
a lot of open shots that weren’t going and we were kind of hanging our
heads and then they’re making everything,” Kerr said. “It was just one
of those nights.”

While the Warriors reintegrate Thompson into the offense, Kerr said they
would rely on the defensive identity they established during the first
40 games of the season. Entering Thursday, Golden State was the
top-ranked defense in the NBA, by a number of metrics.

But without its most important chess piece – Draymond Green is home with
a tight calf – Golden State was left floundering against Giannis
Antetokounmpo, the two-time MVP, who can be an impossible task even for
a team at full strength.

>RELATED ARTICLES
Warriors’ slump sunk? Curry, Thompson light up from 3-point range in win
Warriors’ GM gives update on Draymond Green’s injury
Warriors rookie Kuminga will keep starting in place of injured
Draymond Green
Steph Curry, Klay Thompson splash again in Warriors’ big win vs. Pistons
‘Say Uyghurs!’ Warriors slammed for omitting group’s name in
statement on Chamath Palihapitya

Antetokounmpo torched the Warriors for a triple double — 30 points, 12
rebounds, 11 assists — one of three Milwaukee players with at least 20
points. The Bucks became the first team to shoot better than 50% from
the field against the the Warriors this season.

The Warriors have held opponents below 100 points for an entire game 17
times this season, but the Bucks reached that mark on their first shot
of the fourth quarter.

“Giannis was amazing. We were sending a lot of help and he was finding
shooters,” Kerr said. “We weren’t well connected and we weren’t rotating
really well. … It’s impossible to win a game and to get an offensive
rhythm if you’re taking the ball out of the net every play.”

--
Evan Webeck | Reporter
Evan Webeck covers high-school sports on the field and beyond — and a
little bit of everything else — for the Bay Area News Group. A Pacific
Northwest native and graduate of Arizona State, Evan has previously
worked for The Seattle Times, MLB.com and Sports Illustrated.