“I just don’t have faith in the Warriors,” Charles Barkley’s words might hold some weight. And who could blame him? After a great start to the season, Stephen Curry & Co. are now on a 5-game losing streak, following another heartbreaking defeat to the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Cup on Tuesday. This run has seen them drop from the top of the West standings to 7th in a matter of days. In light of this, head coach Steve Kerr may have felt that enough is enough.

Kerr started the post-game presser last night by criticizing the officials. After all, they did not call a technical on the Nuggets when Christian Braun tried to call a timeout when Denver didn’t have any left. However, Kerr did not solely blame the refs for their loss, stating, “We lost because we didn’t close. Again.” The Warriors scored their last points with 2:32 remaining in the game, taking a 6-point lead. However, Denver scored 10 straight after that, closing the game 119-115.

“It’s like the fifth game in a row where we’ve, you know, maybe not all five, but most of these games in this stretch, we’re not closing,” said Kerr. “We’re not executing, we’re not making good decisions, and it’s got to…. it’s got to improve.” Taking a shot at the offense, Kerr also highlighted Nikola Jokic & Co. attempting 35 free throws, as opposed to the Warriors’ 21. The 59-year-old coach wants them to “learn to execute and close games.” After all, winning comes down to one important aspect: decision-making.

“Part of being a good team is decision-making,” Kerr continued. “It can’t just be about talent, or whether you make shots or not, it’s got to be about decision-making. We have to become a better decision-making team and, you know, that’s what’s frustrating right now is poor decisions are leading to poor possessions, which is leading to this losing streak. So, that’s what’s happening.”

Kerr blamed the loss on late turnovers, fouls, ignored calls, and a lapse in decision. However, the Denver Nuggets are no pushovers and the team can take this loss as a lesson. After all, adding to the 5-loss streak can be very problematic in the competitive West. Fortunately, Steve Kerr’s message seems to have gotten to his players. Brandin Podziemski highlighted the same during his post-game presser.

Amid Steve Kerr’s criticism, Brandin Podziemski admits lapse in performance: “I was just trying too hard”

Podziemski contributed well with 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. However, there were still some lapses in his performance, as he went 0-3 with his three-pointers. Worse of all, he ended up turning the ball over twice and had five personal fouls, that too at critical junctures. Therefore, he certainly understood why Steve Kerr singled him out in the criticism.

“I agree. I played poorly defensively” said Podziemski. “I think one of the turnovers I had, where I threw it to Trayce (Jackson-Davis), I could have bounced it to him earlier. The other one, on the way, just kinda slipped out my hands when I started…..like I said, I think I was just trying too hard to kind of defensively stick with Michael Porter and end up falling twice.”

These lapses in decision-making are what Steve Kerr wants Podziemski, and the roster, to improve upon. The Warriors are set to face off against the high-flying Houston Rockets next on Thursday. The Warriors need to start winning again if they want to maintain their place in the Play-in spots.