Steve Kerr breaks silence on Steph Curry-led Warriors' multiple demoralizing defeats after humiliation against Celtics
Steve Kerr and the Steph Curry-led Golden State Warriors lost 125-85 to the Boston Celtics on Monday. The last time the Dubs suffered a defeat by such a margin was in January 1985 against the Dallas Mavericks (149-104). Kerr raised the white flag early after Boston extended its 54-39 halftime advantage to a 97-63 lead entering the fourth quarter.
After the game, Kerr had this to say to reporters about the blowout loss:
“We’ve got to flush this one down the toilet. … We’ve been very competitive all year and our guys have fought, but we’ve had a handful of these where we just get blown out — and these are demoralizing.”
Kerr added that he wanted his players to “forget” the loss and move on to the next game. The Dubs travel to Sacramento on Wednesday for a matchup against the Kings, who whipped them 129-99 on Jan. 5.
Steph Curry finished the game against the Boston Celtics with 18 points on 6-for-16 shooting, including 4-12 from deep. Curry had to carry the brunt of the load as Draymond Green (calf), Jonathan Kuminga (ankle) and Brandin Podziemski (abdomen) were in street clothes. Golden State’s 14-for-53 clip (26.4%) from behind the arc was too much to overcome.
The Warriors have now lost by at least 15 points seven times, including a 144-93 debacle at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies on Dec. 19.
Steve Kerr could not coax more out of Warriors in non-Steph Curry minutes
The Golden State Warriors trailed 19-17 when Steph Curry got his first rest with 3:35 remaining in the first quarter. Boston ended the period with a 10-1 run while the two-time MVP sat.
The same trend happened in the second quarter when Steve Kerr took out Curry at the 8:16 mark. Golden State faced a 33-22 deficit when the franchise cornerstone got a breather. The Celtics took advantage again of his absence and dropped an 11-3 run.
Kerr kept Steph Curry on the floor for nearly the entire third quarter, but the Celtics continued to build their lead. When Quinten Post entered the game for Curry with 1:45 remaining, Boston led 90-58.
Steve Kerr signaled the surrender by holding out the Warriors’ superstar the whole fourth quarter. The Celtics marched to the finish line and avenged their 118-112 loss to the Dubs at TD Garden in early November.