Warriors limp home after crushing road trip
Golden State Warriors are entering pivotal eight-game homestand that
could make or break their season
>Golden State Warriors’ Steve Kerr calls out to his team during the
first half of an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets
Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022 in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
By MADELINE KENNEY | mkenney@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: December 22, 2022 at 7:18 a.m. | UPDATED: December 22, 2022
at 9:12 a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/12/22/warriors-need-to-improve-from-meager-1-5-road-trip-during-pivotal-homestand/

NEW YORK — There’s not much the Warriors can take away from their meager
1-5 road trip.

Sure, there were some bright spots. Jordan Poole showed how good he can
be when he plays a patient two-way game and was rewarded with a
career-high 43 points in Toronto on Sunday. Three nights later in
Brooklyn, James Wiseman and Patrick Baldwin Jr. also walked away with
new career-highs in scoring (30 and 17 points, respectively) on a night
when the younger guys played better, though that ultimately didn’t stop
another 30-plus-point spanking.

But after being crushed by a combined 68 points on back-to-back nights
in New York, coach Steve Kerr admitted that the depleted team might’ve
hit its lowest point of the season.

“(Former NFL coach) Bill Parcells said you are what your record is,”
Kerr said Wednesday night after a frustrating 143-113 loss to the Nets.
“Bad road trip and we are 15-18, so we’re a below-.500 team and we got
to kind of find a way to reverse it.”

The Warriors were plagued with the same problems on this road trip that
Kerr has been harping on them about all season. They were sloppy with
their execution of the game plan and got caught playing frenetically,
which resulted in jumbled offense. The Warriors have committed an
average of 19.5 turnovers over the last eight games, which has impacted
their ability to get back and defend on the other end of the court. And
opponents have made them pay. Brooklyn, specifically, turned 21 Warriors
turnovers into 36 points.

Defensive mishaps led to good-look 3s for opponents, who knocked them
down at a 44.3% clip during this trip.

“We’re starting to hit rock bottom,” Kerr said. “Injuries, whatever it
is, schedule fatigue, you take it on the chin. So the whole key is how
we respond to that and there’s no doubt our guys will respond.”

The Warriors are facing an uphill battle as they return back to the Bay
for a pivotal eight-game homestand, their longest of the season. It’s
still unclear when Stephen Curry will return after partially dislocating
his left shoulder on this trip. Andrew Wiggins also remains sidelined
with a strained thigh muscle, though the Warriors are hopeful he could
be back in the lineup at some point during their upcoming homestand.
Donte DiVincenzo and JaMychal Green’s timelines are also murky as
they’re both under the weather, with Green entering the league’s health
and safety protocols Tuesday.

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Golden State entered Thursday sitting 1 1/2 games back from a play-in
spot and 3 1/2 games out from making the playoffs outright. But even as
they return to Chase Center, a place they’ve dominated this season
(12-2), the Warriors’ schedule isn’t getting any easier. Five of their
next eight opponents own a .500-or-better record, beginning Sunday with
the Grizzlies, tied for first in the Western Conference, and ending Jan.
10 with the Suns, who are one game behind Memphis.

“We got to turn things around and the good news is the standings are
pretty bunched up in the West,” Kerr said. “Despite our record, we are
not in dire straits. So we need to get solid, we need to get some guys
healthy and we need to start playing better obviously and build some
momentum. These next games at home will be important but whatever
40-plus games after that are important.”

The players are also feeling an increased sense of urgency heading into
this homestand.

“It will be really big for us,” Kevon Looney said. “Hopefully we can get
some guys back, we’ll start building some momentum, just keep building
some good habits and start collecting some wins. We’ve been really good
at home, we want to keep building on that and then take that momentum on
the road.”