The Golden State Warriors suffered a 124-115 defeat at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday, March 22. Steve Kerr’s team was playing without Stephen Curry, who is currently sidelined with a pelvis injury and is awaiting further re-evaluation on Monday.
When speaking to the media after the game, veteran forward Draymond Green was clear in his frustration. Green noted how Golden State’s recent climb up the Western Conference has ensured the franchise has something to play for this season, and unexpected losses like the one against Atlanta are unacceptable.
“Bad loss,” Green said. “It’s a terrible loss. When you’re in a position we’re in, we’ve got a chance to compete for something. Eleven games left with everything to play for, you shouldn’t have a loss like this. Too much on the line. Got to win the games you’re supposed to win. Obviously, Steph’s out. Still a game we should win. So, it’s a terrible loss.”
In Curry’s absence, Jimmy Butler stepped into a primary offensive role, leading the team im points (25) and rebounds (8). However,
“We just didn’t come out ready to play,” Green said. “We came out like we were just going to win the game. And we got diced up defensively in the first quarter and from that point on, you’re fighting an uphill battle. So everybody’s comfortable and they took it to us. We’ve got to be better. That starts with me. We were terrible defensively. It’s the NBA. Once guys get into a rhythm, it’s hard and they got into a rhythm and had it rolling. It’s tough to stop that, so we got to come out ready to play.”
The Warriors will be back in action on Tuesday, March 25, when they face the Miami Heat. However, that game will have some additional complications due to it being Butler’s first game back in South Beach after forcing his way out of the franchise. Still, Kerr’s team will undoubtedly want to bounce straight back into the win column, so it will be interesting to see how the Warriors adjust and approach the Miami game, especially as they look to cement the sixth seed in the Western Conference.
