For the second consecutive game, the Golden State Warriors walked off the court stunned, this time by an 0-5 Indiana Pacers team that was missing half its roster. The 114-109 loss wasn’t just a defeat; it was a full-system failure, a collapse so comprehensive that head coach Steve Kerr ran out of explanations and resorted to blunt, frustrated truth.
There was no sugarcoating from the Warriors’ coach. With his team dropping to 4-3 after squandering an 11-point lead in the final six minutes, Kerr’s postgame press conference was a mixture of anger and disbelief.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr reacts in the 3rd quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
“We know the West is loaded, and it feels like we just gave away two games,” Kerr stated, his frustration palpable. “If we are locked in and focused and playing the way we know we can play, we should have won them… This should not have been one of them.”
He specifically highlighted the team’s rest and preparation, making the lack of execution inexcusable. “The execution down the stretch was awful, and it’s a shame because our young guys played their a** off to get us the 11-point lead.”
The most damning part of Kerr’s comments was the clear line he drew between the energy of the bench and the complacency of the stars. He showered praise on Gui Santos, Moses Moody, and Brandin Podziemski for “flipping the game” and building the lead.
However, when it was winning time, the veterans entrusted to close the game imploded. Stephen Curry (8-23 FG, 4-16 from three), Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green combined for critical turnovers and missed shots during the Pacers’ game-sealing 21-5 run. The very players brought in for their poise and late-game mastery were the architects of the collapse.
This loss fits a disturbing pattern Kerr himself identified: the Warriors’ recent tendency to play down to shorthanded opponents. After falling to a Giannis-less Bucks team, they allowed a decimated Pacers squad—without Tyrese Haliburton and four other key players—to have three players score 25+ points, including career nights for Aaron Nesmith (31) and Quenton Jackson (25).
The Warriors are at a crossroads just seven games into the season. The loss itself is bad, but the manner of it—a veteran-led meltdown after a youthful surge—is alarming. Kerr’s message was clear: there are no more excuses. The “plenty of rest” is there. The talent is there. But the focus and execution, particularly from the team’s leaders, have vanished in crucial moments. If this isn’t the “kick up the backside” this team needs, it’s hard to imagine what will be.