The Golden State Warriors fell in Wednesday night's Game 5 on the road at the Houston Rockets, as the Rockets staved off elimination in the Western Conference first-round series with an electric offensive performance.
The Rockets led by as many as 30 in the first half, which included a 14-0 spurt to start the second quarter. Houston was up 76-51 at halftime, and while the Warriors made a bit of a fourth quarter push with the backups, the Rockets ultimately won by 15.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr placed the blame directly on his own shoulders following the performance of this team.
"I didn't have them ready to play, clearly," Kerr said during his postgame press conference. "We had three fouls in the first two minutes of the game. They were 13-for-13 from the line at the end of the first quarter. We can't come out with that lack of defensive focus and energy and expect to beat a great team on their home floor in a closeout game. They took it to us, they were awesome tonight and we've gotta be better."
Steve Kerr: “I didn’t have them ready to play clearly.”
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 1, 2025
He said there was a halftime conversation with Draymond Green to give the starters five minutes to make a run and pull the plug if they didn’t pic.twitter.com/BThLDI51SL
Kerr added that he had a conversation with Draymond Green at halftime, and they agreed that the Warriors starters should be pulled in the third quarter if they didn't cut into the huge deficit within five minutes of game time.
Kerr stayed true to his word and pulled the starters. They remained out even as the Warriors nearly cut the Rockets' lead to 13 in the fourth quarter.
Game 6 is Friday night at the Chase Center.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Steve Kerr Gives Blunt Self-Assessment After Warriors' Disappointing Game 5 Loss.
