On Saturday, Feb. 28, the Golden State Warriors fell to a 129-101 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. The defeat is a tough blow for the franchise, as the game was an ideal opportunity to close the gap on the sixth seed, which the Lakers currently hold. Unfortunately, Steve Kerr’s team, which is navigating a lengthy injury report, came out of the gates slowly and struggled to claw itself back into the game.
During his postgame news conference, Kerr praised the Lakers for their win before admitting that JJ Redick’s team played «a fantastic game.»
«I thought they were great,» Kerr said, via Sam Gordon.. «They played a fantastic game. They came in here having lost three straight. They were locked in. And I thought getting off to the slow start hurt us because, you know, for us to win right now, it’s got to be about energy, and winning extra possessions, crashing, forcing turnovers, and we just fell behind like that. And they were playing with the lead the entire game, and we just couldn’t climb back in.»
When questioned on the team’s slow start, which has been an issue in multiple games in recent weeks, Kerr cited having a «defensive mentality» as the key component to ensuring the Warriors don’t fall behind early in games.
«A defensive mentality is the most important thing. We have to come out with some pop and some energy at that end of the floor. Just didn’t feel like we were as engaged defensively,» Kerr said. «…We took care of the ball tonight, 32 assists, 10 turnovers. It wasn’t like we played poorly. We shot poorly, and like I said, we’ve never made a defensive stand in the game. It was just a night when they totally outplayed us.»
Following the loss, the Warriors remain in the eighth seed, 4.5 games behind the Lakers, who occupy the sixth seed, which guarantees postseason basketball without the need for the play-in tournament. The Warriors still have enough time to make up some ground, but until they get Stephen Curry back in the rotation, that’s going to be a tough task.
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This article originally appeared on Warriors Wire: Warriors’ Steve Kerr makes candid admission after loss to Lakers
