The Warriors' 111-103 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night swung on a clear turning point.
With Golden State down 101-100, Memphis trapped Andrew Wiggins along the sideline and forced a steal. Grayson Allen intercepted Wiggins' errant pass, breaking away for a dunk to give the Grizzlies a three-point lead with 1:43 remaining.
The Warriors never led again.
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The Grizzlies trapped Wiggins within feet of Warriors coach Steve Kerr, but he puzzlingly opted not to call a timeout. Kerr admitted in his postgame video conference he should have.
"That was my fault," Kerr told reporters. "As soon as I saw him trapped, I should have run on the court and taken a timeout and I didn't do that."
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Golden State Warriors
Exactly four weeks ago, the Warriors' inability to call timeout cost them in a close loss. That wasn't for a lack of trying, however, as Kerr tried to call timeout late in Golden State's 102-100 defeat to the Charlotte Hornets. Instead, Charlotte forced a jump ball, setting in motion a chain of events that led to Draymond Green's ejection and, ultimately, a buzzer-beating loss.
The Warriors are now 8-9 in games decided by single digits this season. Had Kerr called timeout and the Warriors Saturday's game and the contest a month ago, and Golden State would be two games back of the sixth-seeded Portland Trail Blazers.
Instead, the Warriors are ninth in the Western Conference and four games back of their stated goal of avoiding the play-in games for a postseason spot. Time will tell if those margins prove any costlier.