Coming off the 2019 NBA All-Star break, which ended Sunday, Feb. 17, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr made a judgment call: Let the players ease back into things; go easy on them in practice for the game against the Houston Rockets.
Obviously, that didn’t turn out so well.
The Warriors were sluggish from the start, going scoreless for the first four minutes, while Houston put up 12 points. With just over six minutes left in the second quarter, the Warriors found themselves in an 18-point hole (their largest deficit this season).
A late-game comeback brought the Warriors to within possibility of pulling out a win, but they couldn’t hang on. The 118-112 loss put Golden State at 0-3 in the season series against Houston, with one game remaining.
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According to Kerr, “all kinds of stuff” went wrong in practice prior to Saturday night’s tilt, including issues with film. But with Kerr choosing film study and walkthrough rather than requiring his superstar squad to spend more time on the court, it appears the team just didn’t put in enough work.
“In hindsight, we probably should have gotten on the court, more, done a little more work,” Kerr said.
In typical Kerr fashion, he accepted responsibility for the lukewarm practice that led to the Warriors’ ice-cold Saturday night performance before a stunned Oracle Arena crowd.
“It was a poor decision on my part,” said Kerr.
