© Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
For a team that is 12-6, the Warriors look shockingly disjointed. Without Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Alfonzo McKinnie, the team, which still has two active All-Stars in Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant, has failed to find any sort of rhythm offensively.
Tonight, the Warriors lost their third-straight game in Texas with a 104-92 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. The team is now 2-5 in their last seven games and has been absolutely abysmal from 3-point territory.
Here are three takeaways from tonight’s game:
Quinn Cook deserves the starting spot back
The reason the Warriors went from 18 points down to within 10 in the third quarter was Quinn Cook. He seems to be the only Warrior playing with confidence and efficiency in recent games. That energy has been coming from the bench, and it’s likely Steve Kerr’s intention to have a spark from the bench. The problem is that Cook has run the offense effectively and the starters have struggled.
Tonight, Cook dropped 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal despite coming off the bench. He had 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting last night. In his place, Andre Iguodala has started at point guard in the past two games, but after Cook’s performances, he’s done enough to earn the spot back.
Durant, Thompson struggle again from deep
With no Curry or Green, you’d think one of Durant or Thompson would step up. But that’s not been the case. They were 2-of-15 from deep last night, and tonight was no better. Together, they were 4-of-19 from behind the arc tonight.
The Warriors’ first 3-pointer came 16 minutes into the game from Thompson. It was his first three of the game, and on his next possession, he gave the Warriors their first lead of the night. But the momentum failed to continue.
By the end of the night, Durant had shot 26 points on a woeful 8-of-25 from the field and 1-of-8 from 3-point range. Thompson had 25 points on 11-of-26 shooting and 3-of-11 from deep.
Jerebko keeping the offense moving
While Thompson and Durant haven’t demonstrated consistency, Jerebko has been quietly solid. He had 8 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and was 3-of-3 from the field tonight. He sets screens, fights for every rebounds, and doesn’t force bad shots. Last night against the Dallas Mavericks, he had 4 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. His numbers aren’t spectacular on the year, but he’s provided a calming, solid influence on the Warriors despite their struggles.