AP Photo/Frank Franklin II
The Golden State Warriors endured their second straight blowout loss Wednesday when they fell 143-113 to the Brooklyn Nets. That matchup occurred one day after the Warriors lost 132-94 to the New York Knicks.
The 15-18 Warriors have now lost seven of their last nine games and own an NBA-worst 3-16 road record. After the Nets game, head coach Steve Kerr issued this line regarding the state of his team.
The Warriors played without Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins, so they were far from full strength.
On the other hand, they fell behind 46-17 after the first quarter and 91-51 at halftime against a Nets team missing Kyrie Irving.
Golden State’s porous defense also allowed Brooklyn to shoot 64.3 percent from the field and 21-of-33 from three-point range.
It’s been a perplexing season for the Warriors, who won the NBA championship last year and were expected to contend for a crown this season. Curry has averaged 30.0 points per game, so their star hasn’t skipped a beat.
But there are concerns elsewhere. Thompson, a five-time All-Star, is shooting just 39.9 percent from the field. Donte DiVincenzo has also struggled shooting (38.8 percent) off the bench.
The biggest issue, though, is on the defensive end. The Warriors were No. 1 in defensive rating last year but entered Wednesday No. 21 in the league, per Basketball Reference.
The defense clearly hit a new low in New York, and the schedule isn’t going to let up with the Western Conference-leading Memphis Grizzlies visiting the Warriors on Christmas Day.
