Two days after suffering the third-worst loss in franchise history, the Warriors resolved to come out Sunday in Atlanta with renewed energy and focus. And though the Warriors got Stephen Curry (37 points) back from another tailbone-related absence and an admirable defensive performance, old problems cropped up in their 117-111 loss to the Hawks at State Farm Arena.
The Warriors (23-27) used timely rotations, hard close-outs and valiant team-rebounding to hold the Hawks (26-24) to 43.2% shooting (37.5% from 3-point range), but went 10-for-40 from 3-point range themselves, turned the ball over 16 times and committed 26 fouls that led to 35 points at the free-throw line for Atlanta. These things have plagued the Warriors throughout the season, and tilted the result in the opposite direction Sunday night.
“I thought the whole group competed and everybody played hard and together,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “But the lack of discipline killed us. That’s the bottom line.”
Unlike Friday’s 53-point blowout loss to the Raptors in Tampa, Fla., this game featured 17 lead changes and came down to the final minutes.
Curry’s 30-foot moon shot at the end of the third quarter gave the Warriors an 82-79 lead heading into the fourth, but the second unit gave up the lead as Danilo Gallinari (25 points) and Lou Williams (15 points) led Atlanta’s fourth-quarter push. Williams’ jumper punctuated a 12-4 run that gave the Hawks a 105-98 lead with five minutes remaining.
Even after Curry checked back in with 6:30 to go, the Warriors went more than three minutes without a field goal. However, the defense kept them within striking distance.
Down seven with 1:48 to go, Andrew Wiggins’ straight-away 3-pointer cut the deficit to 110-106 with 1:06 remaining, giving the Warriors a chance to steal the game. But Clint Capela’s tip-in with 41 seconds to go, followed by Wiggins’ missed 3-pointer on the next possession put the final stamp on the loss.
After Friday’s embarrassing effort, in which Golden State trailed by more than 50 points by third quarter, players and coaches talked about competing until the final buzzer. They did that Sunday. Curry poured in shots from all over the court, going 12-for-23, but 3-for-12 from 3-point range. Kelly Oubre Jr. finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds, Wiggins added 16 points and Draymond Green, back from a finger sprain that sidelined him Friday, had 11 points, 11 assists, seven rebounds and four steals.
But the Hawks took 45 total free throws, including 27 in the second half. No matter Curry’s heroics this season and a defense that has, at times, been dominant, the Warriors have ranked near the bottom of the league in fouls committed.
“We lost the game because we fouled over and over and over again,” Kerr said. “We talk about it every day, talked about it before the game, talked about it at halftime, but it’s as simple as that.”
Over the last few weeks, Kerr has remarked his team is on the precipice of going on a run, believing perhaps the fouling would subside with experience. However, even as defending without fouling is reviewed in film study and drilled in practice, the Warriors cannot shake the constant reaching.
If there’s a silver lining for a team in the midst of a playoff push, competing regardless of the outcome is paramount over the final 22 games. Though Sunday’s result was not ideal, it may have provided the team with the reset it needed.
As of now, Golden State is still in 10th place and in possession of the final spot of the play-in tournament in the Western Conference. A valuable homestand awaits: the Warriors will play nine of their next 13 games at home, starting Tuesday against the Milwaukee Bucks. After that, soft games against Washington and Houston provide a reprieve and a chance to build some momentum. Those teams are beatable, but only if the Warriors stops beating themselves.
“The sooner we get our s–t together and get on track,” Oubre said, “the sooner we can feel better about ourselves.”
