The Clippers, holding home advantage, conveniently discarded the Golden State Warriors, who have now lost three straight games. They managed to keep the Warriors’ scoring in check, with only Jonathan Kuminga finding success. However, it was his energy and force that led to some optimism for Steve Kerr after the team played without Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. It was a difficult game and for three quarters, that was the case.

The lack of confidence that the revered head coach spoke about previously was evident. “Yeah, we are down. Everybody’s disappointed. We have lost some confidence,” he stated after the LA Lakers game.

The Warriors, an acclaimed shooting team, shot just 18.4% from three against the Clippers.

Their only encouraging spell was during the fourth quarter. Thanks to Kuminga, the Warriors managed to bring the game down to a single possession. While they couldn’t convert the treacherous night around, what Steve Kerr saw in those 12 minutes fit the mold of how he expects his team to be playing whenever they suit up.

“I was inspired watching that group. That was fantastic. You know, down 20, 21 whatever it was, they kept fighting and you know love the defensive energy. It’s just something we haven’t done well in the last couple of weeks. I think we had maybe six deflections against the Lakers and they just completely controlled the game. They never felt us defensively. Tonight, I think we forced 12 turnovers alone in the fourth quarter. So that’s the kind of energy and intensity we have to have that we showed early in the season,” Kerr said in the post-game press conference.

“Obviously, it wasn’t enough. Bit it was, as I said, inspiring to watch them.”

The high defensive activity derailed the Clippers’ smooth-flowing offense. The Warriors outscored the Clippers by nine, the only quarter they won all game. But the key is to find such consistency defensively from the beginning of games. And while it hasn’t happened in 15 games, Steve Kerr is confident that his squad is capable of doing so.

Where it went wrong for the Warriors against the Clippers…

Without their two anchors tonight, the Warriors had to adjust on the fly. While Dennis Schroder was operating at the point guard spot, their system didn’t adhere to how the Bay usually plays. Schroder became the pivot as opposed to Green and the scoring needed to be well distributed.

Unfortunately, not only did Kris Dunn, a hellish on-ball defender for the Clippers, make life miserable for the new arrival, but the Warriors’ offense fell flat. Particularly, Andrew Wiggins, who became the first option scorer, as per the pecking order, struggled to make shots tonight. He only scored five points.

Furthermore, they couldn’t respond defensively to curb the Clippers’ well-set offense. They shot 53.3% from the floor. The Clippers have only lost one of their eight games when shooting 50% or better. Hence, the Warriors’ failure to stop them from scoring created a deficit too large to recoup from.

Although the fourth quarter did elicit hope, this was far from the best for the Bay. They lacked energy and pace tonight. But in the fourth quarter, they generated 10 turnovers and shot 16 more shots than their rivals. That’s exactly what Steve Kerr is asking from his side.

The need to find multiple points of attack is vital for the Warriors in their time of doom. Jonathan Kuminga could see an elevated role with his recent line of performances. Additionally, with Stephen Curry scheduled to return tomorrow, the shooting woes shouldn’t ache Steve Kerr.

But with all that being said, a win is a must for the Golden State Warriors. Do you think they can get it against the Phoenix Suns? Let us know your views in the comments below.