After losing to the Indiana Pacers 123-111 on Friday night, the Golden State Warriors are now just a game ahead of
the Houston Rockets in 11th place and 1.5 games behind the Los Angeles Lakers in ninth. Let’s examine three in-
depth responses to the disappointing defeat to the Pacers suffered by the Warriors.
Unfortunately, Tyrese Haliburton’s buzzer-beating 35-footer to end the first half served as a premonition of what lay
ahead for the Dubs. The Pacers drastically altered the tone of Friday’s game by coming out of halftime and
continuing exactly where they left off in the final minutes of the second quarter.
In less than three minutes, the Warriors’ early 12-point lead turned into a 12-point deficit. Indiana’s relentless pace
overwhelmed them defensively, and their sudden incapacity to make shots and generate effective offense simply
made matters worse. In addition to letting their two-way troubles fester emotionally, Golden State was outworked
and outhustled by a Pacers club that was also vying for a postseason spot.
They simply got out in transition after forcing the ball down our throats. Following the game, Steve Kerr remarked,
“I felt they were the more physical team as well.” They pushed at the conclusion of the second and then again at the
start of the third when we had the lead. They were temporarily outperforming us there, and it didn’t feel like we were
catching up to the loose balls.
In the third quarter, Indiana outscored the Warriors 36–21, shooting 57.7% from the field to the home team’s 30.8%.
Myles Turner led the Pacers in defensive rim dominance with five blocks and four steals. When Haliburton closed
out his team’s game-changing quarter with yet another absurd, high-arching three-pointer right before the game
clock hit zero, putting Golden State ahead 102-88 going into the fourth quarter, nobody at Chase Center was
shocked.
The main issue facing the Warriors on Friday wasn’t their general level of effort and intensity. It was actually their
restless, anxious dreams of a comeback that ultimately proved to be their downfall, as they desperately tried to make
up for that dreadful third quarter.
Golden State coughed up 11 turnovers in the second half, after committing just three before the half. Several of these
happened in an enigmatic, game-changing manner. Late in the third quarter, Draymond Green should be setting
himself up for a layup that would stifle Indiana’s momentum. However, Brandin Podziemski saw him late, giving
Haliburton an easy pick.
From the first tip, Jonathan Kuminga made a determined attempt to move the ball up the floor, frequently setting up
the Dubs for successful looks early in the shot block. However, halfway through the quarter, after being cut off by
Jalen Smith, he picks up his dribble. Panicking, he fails to locate a release valve quickly and throws the ball over Klay
Thompson’s head and out of bounds.
In the fourth quarter, the Pacers eventually let up on the offensive glass, going 7 of 19 overall and 1 of 6 from three-
point range while committing four turnovers. Because of their labors, Golden State had a chance for a last-ditch
comeback, and thanks in part to Stephen Curry cutting short his usual repose, the deficit was less than ten points at
the three-minute mark.
With 1:05 remaining, however, the Dubs’ nervous playbook finally caught up with them as they were down 119-111.
attempting to locate an open spot or hit Green with a cross-court lob to give Curry a short look at three points.
Thompson flew the inbounds ball into the Warriors bench, forcing two defenders to run with the greatest shooter in
history, Chris Paul.
Even though there was still one minute remaining in the game, Thompson’s mistake essentially ended the Warriors’
heartbreaking loss.
Before Friday’s play, Kuminga had averaged 22.4 points in his previous eight games. In that span, he had only made
less than half of his shots once, which came in the Warriors’ home defeat to the Chicago Bulls in early March.
Kuminga went 5-of-11 for 19 points. After Golden State’s historic blowout loss to the Boston Celtics a few days prior,
a game in which he played just 19 minutes and was effectively out of halftime, he hadn’t really struggled.
Despite his numbers, Kuminga wasn’t nearly as terrible versus Indiana. From the first tip, he was a transition
machine. He consistently made the perfect play offensively and put up a strong fight on the glass. But without the
jumper functioning, Kuminga was forced to squat down and aggressively charge toward the rim, where he was
frequently troubled by the length of Turner, Smith, and Pascal Siakam.
With 11 points from 4-of-17 shooting in the end, he made a staggering four more field goals than Kuminga had in any
other game this season.
After the game, Chris Paul stated of Kuminga, “Didn’t know he was 4-for-17.” “Dude, it’s the league. There are 82
games. Even if it’s difficult, we all want to be amazing every night. It’s challenging, particularly when you’re
performing at his level. People’s scouting reports are beginning to include him.
Curry needed 24 shots to score 25 points, which was only marginally more efficient than Kuminga. The Dubs’ eighth-
worst offensive rating of the season, 104.7, was the result of Golden State’s inability to maintain any kind of
consistency once Klay Thompson’s scorching hand began to cool halfway through the second quarter.
