Despite Golden State’s exciting 127-123 overtime victory against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night, the game would not have been nearly as close if not for several careless turnovers. Those mistakes did not escape the eye of head coach Steve Kerr, who didn’t hold back his thoughts after the game.
“Particularly ‘galling’ would be the word I’d use, I like the word ‘galling,’” Kerr said. “Tonight was absolutely galling. Just some mind-boggling plays. I don’t know what to tell you we’ve got to be able to take better care of the ball and make better decisions.”
Looking beyond the impressive shooting from Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, the Warriors gave up 22 turnovers against the Lakers, their fourth 20-plus turnover game of the season. The Warriors are averaging 16 turnovers per game, which is tied for the third worst in the NBA.
And although the Warriors are now 16-6 and their offensive dominance is working with their defensive prowess to shake off their slow start, Kerr needs the smart decision making and competitive spirit to follow suit.
“I just don’t think anything matters unless you play hard,” Kerr said. “You can talk about all you want in terms of what plays we run, adjustments to make, but the reason our lineup has been so potent over the years is because we compete like crazy and I don’t think we competed tonight. I don’t think we’ve really competed that well all year. It’s just the way it is right now.”