Overmatched Warriors go off script, invite blowout loss to Timberwolves

With three starters and three rotation players aching, absent or otherwise unavailable, Warriors coach Steve Kerr had little choice Monday night but to send an overmatched squad onto the floor to face the Minnesota Timberwolves. Losing was their destiny.But the path the Warriors took to a 108-83 defeat had to have Kerr, his staff and the observers from the Unc Bunch scratching their heads.What were these guys doing?The Warriors had nearly as many turnovers (19) as assists (21). They spent far too many offensive possessions playing 1-on-1 hoops against the longer, quicker and more athletic Timberwolves. This bad idea was made worse by the fact that the roster available on this night was lacking terrific isolation players.Moreover, the astonishing number of zero- or one-pass possessions – particularly in the first half – stood in abject defiance of typical Golden State basketball. Ball movement was wildly inconsistent, as there was too much straying from the kind of ‘point-5 basketball’ that the franchise trains its youngsters from the G League and early in the NBA.“I think we could do a better job on offense, moving the ball and everybody playing together,” Gui Santos told reporters at Target Center.Santos is 100-percent accurate. Not that the Warriors were going to pull off the upset, but they did not represent their brand.“I felt like we had a chance going in, but we were going to have to make some shots and take care of the ball,” Kerr said. “So, 9 for 39 from 3 and 19 turnovers . . . not going to get it done.”Despite the ice-cold shooting beyond the arc, the Warriors kept launching. They went through one possession in the third quarter jacking up three consecutive 3-pointers, missing badly each time, only to launch another errant fourth on their next possession. Minnesota’s response to the fourth brick was to drain a triple to go up 62-45 with 6:51 left in the quarter.Kerr, justifiably displeased, hopped off the bench signaling a timeout.Didn’t matter. The Warriors shot 4 of 16 from deep over the final 18:51 and were outscored 46-38. They continued to fire from distance, even when 7-foot-1 Rudy Gobert, a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, was off the floor.“They made it tough on us to score,” Quinten Post said. “Overall, they played a good game. And we didn’t make a lot of shots. But full credit to them. They just played great. We couldn’t get a lot going tonight.”Injuries left the Warriors without Jimmy Butler III (torn right ACL), Stephen Curry (right knee inflammation), Draymond Green (low back soreness) and Jonathan Kuminga (left knee bone bruise). Al Horford and De’Anthony Melton routinely play only one half of a back-to-back set, and both played on Sunday.So, the Warriors were left with the scrappy squad, which brought sufficient effort. There was plenty of curious decision-making, though, as they too often abandoned the ball-movement principles stressed in training camp, with occasional reminders in the 118 days since.They kept it tight through the better part of the first half before falling flat over the final 6:30, when the Timberwolves feasted off turnovers and poor shot selection to close the half with a 21-6 run that pretty much the Warriors in the dust.“We turned the ball over a little bit and gave them some easy ones,” Brandin Podziemski said. “I think it just gave him some rhythm going into second half.”This was an opportunity for players in this group, mostly reserves, to persuade Kerr and his staff that they deserve more minutes. Regardless of whether minutes are available, the goal always should be to prove you are worthy.Each of the five starters – Pat Spencer, Moses Moody, Podziemski, Post and Santos – scored double figures. Only Post, however, shot better than 40 percent from the field. Podziemski lapsed into zero-pass, 1-on-1 ball at least four times.The bench was no better, shooting 11-of-34 and offsetting six assists with six turnovers. Gary Payton II fouled out in 12 minutes. Buddy Hield shot 2 of 10 from the field, including 1 of 4 from deep. A 92.9-percent shooter from the line, Hield drew a foul to get two free throws and missed both. Will Richard shot 2 of 9 and 0 of 6 but pestered the Wolves for six steals.By grinding out a win on Sunday, Golden State earned a split during an unusually solemn four days in Minneapolis. That’s acceptable under such extenuating circumstances, as there were times when the game surely and properly felt secondary to tragic real-life events.But it’s one thing to lose when it’s reasonably expected, quite another when it seems principles are discarded shortly after the opening tip.Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Overmatched Warriors go off script, invite blowout loss to Timberwolves

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