It’s now or never for Golden State, and winning on the road–something that has become a challenge–will likely tell the tale of how things turn out this year for the defending champs.
With Tuesday night’s road loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Golden State Warriors have fallen to the six-seed in the Western Conference, the final guaranteed playoff spot, and only half a game ahead of the seven-seed Minnesota Timberwolves.
While the team has experienced unfortunate injuries, that doesn’t completely explain why the Warriors have one of the worst road records in the NBA at 7-25. Their inability to win on the road is a new and strange phenomenon, including not yet being able to come from behind to win a game on the road.
With a month of the regular season, something has to give, largely because the Warriors have nine away games and six home games remaining on the schedule. It’s a Code Red situation in the exceptionally tight Western Conference. The fifth through eighth seeds have the same number of wins; every road loss gives competitors leverage.
Tuesday’s 137-128 loss to the Thunder was especially surprising, coming (as it did) on the heels of a perfect five-game homestand. Things looked to remain on track, too. In his second game back from injury, Stephen Curry had a season-high ten three-pointers and went for 40 points, six rebounds, and seven assists. Klay Thompson had 23 points, four rebounds, and two assists. Johnathan Kuminga, a promising young forward, had 21 points, three rebounds, and two assists.
But Jordan Poole, who had stepped up while Curry was injured, cooled off with 11 points, three rebounds, and three assists. Poole seems to play better when he starts, and the Warriors will likely be better off if they go with last year’s post-season starting five of Curry, Thompson, Poole, Wiggins, and Green.
And one of the biggest issues isn’t point production; it’s fouls and turnovers. Tuesday night Golden State committed 21 personal fouls and had 21 turnovers, which make all the difference in games like this, especially during the season’s pivot point.
It’s now or never for Golden State, and winning on the road–something that has become a challenge–will likely tell the tale of how things turn out this year for the defending champs.
