Two of the most popular teams in the league, the Warriors and Lakers, have the same problem this season. Both teams have the necessary assets to win the chip, but still, they’re struggling to convert wins. While the Dubs initially had a 12-3 run, topping the West, they have had a poor two weeks in the league losing, six of their last 7 games. The LA side, on the other end, lost 7 of their 10 games. Strangely, there’s a similarity in the teams’ reasons behind their embarrassing stretch.

It’s the late execution that’s strangling the California teams.

Let’s begin with the Lakers’ Friday night match-up against the Atlanta Hawks. Going into the overtime, LeBron James & Co. handed over the game on a platter. Especially with a particular stretch in the end, With 28 seconds on the clock, the team had the upper hand with a one-point lead and possession of the ball. The team either needed a bucket or a good defensive play to seal the game.

Firstly, Anthony Davis conceded a turnover with a bad pass, but LeBron James managed to retrieve it with his brilliant block. Following that, AD again tanked an inbound pass when the Hawks tied him down for a jump ball and they lost possession in the jump ball. It was enough for Trae Young to throw down a dagger. Speaking of it, JJ Redick had a difficult time at the presser when it was a similar late-game fumble compared to the one-point loss against the Orlando Magic.

The 40-year-old coach said, “Different type scenario than the Orlando game but certainly frustrated with late-game execution.” JJ didn’t stop at that. He further went into the details of the play, appreciating Bron’s efforts to save the bucket.

Speaking of the Hawks players tying down AD, he added, “When AD comes back towards halfcourt, that’s not what you want ideally cuz then he’s sort of in a trappable spot versus catching it in the middle of the floor. They did a good job just in pursuit of the basketball on the jump ball.” Nevertheless, he ended his statement helplessly, saying, “I don’t know if it was the communication or whatnot.” This isn’t just a one-off mishap, but a repeated event. Nevertheless, let’s take a look at the Warriors’ situation.

Steve Kerr surrendered amid the Warriors’ recurring error

The San Francisco team has everything in its bag. A superstar, who can close out games with cold buckets in clutch, and a bunch of role players to take care of both ends. While it served well for the initial 15 games, the team’s recurring flaw got exposed. In the last quarter, the team’s offense gets completely jammed and struggles to close out games.

Even during the initial games, the team almost blew a few games away. Notably, in the game against the OKC Thunder, the team almost tanked a 30-point lead in the last quarter. So, this is something that has bothered the Warriors for a very long time.

Steve Kerr, speaking of it after the recent win over the Rockets, said, “We can see how hard guys play. We just have to find the combinations that we can count on and hopefully get to night after night. I mean, that’s the only way to really develop chemistry and continuity. Trying to close games.” However, the star coach’s request didn’t get answered in the very next game, as the team fumbled yet another game in the last quarter against the Timberwolves, scoring just 18 points while chasing down a 10-point lead.

So, the question is, will these coaches find a way to rectify these recurring errors before it’s too late? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.