Frustrated Draymond chides Warriors for ‘terrible' loss to Hawks originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Every remaining game on the Warriors’ schedule should be considered an NBA playoff game.
The stakes are that high right now.
That’s why Golden State’s 124-115 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night at State Farm Arena feels so consequential.
No one knows that better than star forward Draymond Green.
“Bad loss,” Green told reporters after the game. “It’s a terrible loss. When you’re in a position we’re in, we’ve got a chance to compete for something. Eleven games left with everything to play for, you shouldn’t have a loss like this. Too much on the line. Got to win the games you’re supposed to win. Obviously Steph’s out. Still a game we should win. So, it’s a terrible loss.”
The loss to open a six-game road trip drops the Warriors to 41-30 and cuts their lead over the Los Angeles Clippers (40-30) and Minnesota Timberwolves (41-31) for the Western Conference’s No. 6 seed to half a game.
A win in Atlanta would have moved Golden State within one game of the Memphis Grizzlies for the No. 5 seed. Instead, the Warriors fell two games behind Ja Morant and Co.
“We just didn’t come out ready to play,” Green said. “We came out like we were just going to win the game. And we got diced up defensively in the first quarter and from that point on, you’re fighting an uphill battle. So everybody’s comfortable and they took it to us. We’ve got to be better. That starts with me. We were terrible defensively. It’s the NBA. Once guys get into a rhythm, it’s hard and they got into a rhythm and had it rolling. It’s tough to stop that, so we got to come out ready to play.”
The Warriors began the road trip without Steph Curry, who is back in the Bay Area receiving treatment for a pelvic contusion sustained in their win over the Toronto Raptors on Thursday at Chase Center.
Curry will be re-evaluated Monday, but it’s unclear when he will play. Coach Steve Kerr stated pregame that he believes the two-time NBA MVP will rejoin the team during the road trip.
The Warriors’ next game looks easy on paper, but emotions will be running high for both sides.
Jimmy Butler makes his highly anticipated return to Miami, while Heat forward Andrew Wiggins faces the team he helped guide to the 2022 NBA championship.
Green is aware of those storylines, and he knows what the Warriors must do against a Heat team that has lost 10 consecutive games.
“Got to come to play,” Green said. “Come out and play defensively, come out and play hard. We got Jimmy over here. I know this is a big game for him. They got Wiggs over there. I know it’s a huge game for him. Just like we want to win for Jimmy, they’re going to want to win for Wiggs. We got to come out ready to play.
“They’ve lost, what, 10 games in a row? Six or seven of those games come down to four- or five-point games, last couple of possessions. So, it’s a little fool’s gold that they’ve lost 10 in a row. We know who the Miami Heat are. They play hard and are disciplined. So we’ve got to come out and play our brand of basketball.”
The good news for the Warriors is that the Clippers play the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday and the Timberwolves face the Indiana Pacers on Monday.
But Green and Golden State can’t afford “terrible” performances over their final 11 regular-season games.
Each loss could be the difference between being the No. 6 seed and earning a week off before the playoffs begin, and having to participate in the NBA play-in tournament.
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