Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images The Warriors may not have had Steph, but that’s no excuse against the worst team in the West. Everyone knew the Golden State Warriors would take a step back with Steph Curry sidelined by an ankle injury. However, even those lowered expectations were no excuse for a 126-113 loss to the San Antonio Spurs at Chase Center on Saturday night. The Dubs fell to 33-30 on the season after losing to the worst team in the Western Conference. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr opted to move Chris Paul into the starting lineup instead of Klay Thompson. A move that sparked plenty of online discourse amongst Warrior fans. Thompson’s offensive firepower seems even more vital for the Warriors in Curry’s absence, and there are some massive defensive weaknesses that a backcourt comprised of Paul and Podziemski creates. Thompson was arguably the Warriors best player on Saturday. While his team-leading 27 points was the only noteworthy stat from his final line, Thompson was one of the few Warriors who seemed to be playing with consistent intensity throughout the game. Whether it was the weakness of facing the Spurs or the morale hit that came from losing Curry, many other Dubs seemed lackadaisical throughout the contest. After a slow start, Jonathan Kuminga had a strong scoring performance in the second half. However, his 26 points on 17 field-goal attempts were simply too little too late. The Warriors did not lose because of their offense. It was a series of failures on the other end of the floor. The Spurs led for most of the first quarter, but didn’t begin outpacing the Warriors until early in the second. Box score stats can be deceiving, but the side-by-side stats on Monday tell the story of the game. The Spurs finished 17-for-33 from three over the course of the game. That percentage may seem unsustainable and the Dubs may have suffered from a slight bit of bad luck, the Spurs, after all, are one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the league. However, it would be a mistake to credit all of their success to simply good fortune. The Warriors defense, particularly on the perimeter, was abysmal. Spurs shooters were left wide open from beyond the arc throughout the game The Warriors will have a day off to travel to San Antonio for a rematch on Monday night in front of the Spurs’ home court. Per a Dubs press release, Curry will not be re-evaluates until Tuesday, so Golden State will need to try and figure out how to tread water without their superstar for at least one more game. Source: https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2024/ ... an-kuminga