The Warriors lost to the 19-53... well, now 20-53 Magic on Tuesday night. Golden State scored less than a point per possession with Stephen Curry out of the lineup, even against the 18th ranked defense in the league. It was the Warriors’ second loss in a row.
After the game, Draymond Green ripped his team.
Draymond after the Warriors’ loss in Orlando:
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 23, 2022
“We’re getting punked” pic.twitter.com/C6hQtPALQa
“I think we’re playing soft, we’re playing stupid. We’re just not playing good basketball, we’re getting punked. It’s hard to win a game getting punked. That’s kind of where we are right now... No disrespect to the Orlando Magic, but they are one of the worst teams in the league. And we can’t match up with them. And if you can’t match up with them, you’re definitely not going to do it against the great teams. I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s a concern, but that’s what’s happening. I don’t doubt that we can fix it, but if we’re going to win some games then it’s got to be fixed.”
Coach Steve Kerr basically agreed, although he phrased things a little more diplomatically.“I know these are great guys,” Kerr said. “I love these guys in the locker room. Awesome guys. I know they want to win. But we have to learn how to win. Right now, we don’t know how to win...
“Take away the fouls on 3-point shooters and in my opinion, we win both games [Orlando and Boston, the Warriors two losses in a row]. We got to take care of the ball. We can’t set illegal screens. We just had a couple of awful illegal screens where we’re completely out of position.”
All season long, and frankly going back multiple seasons, the Warriors have struggled to generate good looks and consistent offense when Curry is not on the floor. This season, the Warriors’ offense is 7.1 points per 100 possessions better when Curry is on the court. It’s not just his shooting and handles — his ability to get buckets — it’s his gravity: The threat of him pulls defenders to him, opening up opportunities and shots for others.
The Warriors miss that — and may miss it right up to the start of the playoffs as Curry recovers from a foot injury.
Kerr said the Warriors need some wins. He’s right. Golden State sits third in the West, but Utah is just two games back and surging Dallas three games with 10 games to play. The Warriors should be able to hang on, but not if they keep dropping games to teams like the Magic. Up next for the Warriors is the East-leading Heat.