Following a heartbreaking loss on Thursday night, the Golden State Warriors will now host the Phoenix Suns, looking to bounce back from an underwhelming performance down the stretch.
From a lack of execution to a poor shooting night from Curry, anticipate a much more locked-in Warriors team at home tonight.
Warriors must show better discipline and execution
Thursday’s loss ultimately came down to poor execution. The Warriors are reportedly searching for an athletic center to add to the rotation, as athleticism seems to be what they’re missing most.
This generally creates issues against opponents that are faster and more explosive. Golden State can’t keep up, and it’s harder to execute offensively.
Stephen Curry, the sun of the Warriors’ solar system, works, but having counters for opponents’ counters is what great teams are built on. They managed to hold Phoenix to just 99 points yet found themselves losing due to careless turnovers.
The Suns had 15 turnovers of their own but the Warriors only scored six fast-break points to Phoenix’s 22. Not only are they not executing in the fast break; they’re also giving up threes in transition.
The Suns controlled the tempo, and this ability for opposing teams to take the Warriors out of their game has been a catalyst in winning the games within the game that they can’t seem to manage consistently.
Curry’s teammates are failing him
Curry is averaging 29.2 points per game in the nine wins he’s played in this season. This overreliance on Curry has been a blessing and a curse for Golden State.
The luxury he creates for offense around him, but an almost lackadaisical execution from his teammates. Per Basketball Index, Curry is top three in the league overall shot-making percentile, while his teammates sit at an abysmal 1.1%.
The next lowest is Donovan Mitchell, whose teammates sit at 2.9%, but what do the Warriors and Cavaliers have in common?
Both teams are playing below expectations.
