SAN FRANCISCO – The feel-good vibes that had the Warriors floating into Denver with a five-game win streak four days ago have faded, and it’s not yet clear if the culprit is regression.
It’s mostly about facing an upgraded caliber of competition. Golden State’s win streak came mostly against NBA weaklings.
With their Christmas Day loss to the Nuggets confined to history, the Warriors returned home Thursday night to greet the Miami Heat, who specialize in two things. One, making opponents sweat every possession; and two, devoting an abundance of energy to containing the most dangerous opponent.
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The Heat succeeded at both, and the Warriors walked off the Chase Center floor with a 114-102 loss that dropped them back below .500 (at 15-16) and left them searching yet again for a way to overcome a quality opponent when Stephen Curry shoots well below his standard.
“We got outcoached, outworked and outplayed,” coach Steve Kerr said.
The Heat (19-12, winners of four straight) were without stars Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry, but they showcased their usual discipline and feral determination. They outshot the Warriors by a wide margin (48.4 percent to 42.0), beat them in the paint (60-50 edge) and even outrebounded them (44-43), even though Golden State entered the game leading the NBA in that category.
With a dazzling variety of blitzes and double-teams also kept Curry from looking like Steph. He finished with 13 points – tying Klay Thompson for team-high – on 3-of-15 shooting from the floor, including 2-of-8 beyond the arc.
Golden State Warriors
And no one stepped up to fill the void. Six other Warriors reached double figures, all scoring either 10 or 11 points. This is the first time since March 27, 2018, that their leading scorer had a few as 13 points.
“It’s one of those nights,” Kerr said. “We’ve been in every game, seems like, all year. Every game has been close. We’ve been competitive and tough. Tonight, we kind of lost that competitiveness. It felt like we go demoralized when shots weren’t going in. They just took it to us.”
After back-to-back losses against teams destined for the playoffs, there are more such teams waiting to take their shot at the Warriors. Next up, all at Chase Center, are the Dallas Mavericks (18-14), followed by the Orlando Magic (18-12) and the Nuggets (23-10).
Golden State’s schedule is now seeking truth.
At a time when the front office is seeking clarity.
The Warriors are in the middle of their most the crucial stretch of the season’s first half – maybe the season in full. They’re without Draymond Green for at least a few more games, the NBA trade deadline is precisely six weeks away and then there are the words of Mike Dunleavy in the wake of Green’s indefinite suspension two weeks ago.
“The bigger impact will be how we do the next 15-20 games,” Dunleavy said on Dec. 14 in Los Angeles. “That will probably determine where we go more than this specific incident or the time away for (Green). The reality of the situation is if you're evaluating Draymond, his ability has been great. His availability has not. We need him more available because when he plays, he's really good. We're really good and that's the main thing.
“I don't think I need any more evaluation of Draymond as a player. I need a little bit more evaluation on this team, the chemistry, the lineups and all that.”
Dunleavy was taking measure of the roster. He was wondering how it would fare without Green. How it would fare, period, to determine whether there should be action toward making a trade. What the GM got in return was a stretch when the Warriors won six of seven before Christmas Day.
But now, having lost two in a row to strong teams, all Dunleavy and his lieutenants know for sure is that Golden State’s roster is deep. They have to wonder, though, if it’s dangerous enough, Curry notwithstanding, to take down the NBA elite.
The next four games are an opportunity for the Warriors to make a statement. Can they play with the league’s big boys? Will they find their defensive teeth?
Until proven otherwise, that five-game win streak feels more like fool’s gold than a preview of better days to come.