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Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr faced criticism after his team blew a 24-point lead during Tuesday’s 124-123 In-Season Tournament loss to the Sacramento Kings. However, according to Kerr, a simple rotation change could have altered the outcome of the game.
During an interview with 95.7 The Game on Wednesday, Kerr took responsibility for the Warriors’ loss. He said that his biggest mistake was not keeping third-year wing Moses Moody in the game late in the fourth quarter:
“I didn’t have my best game as a coach, and boy, that was a tough, tough loss. Should’ve left Moses in the game,” Kerr said.
Moody scored 11 points on 4-for-4 (100%) shooting in the first seven and a half minutes of the fourth, including hitting three critical 3-pointers. However, Kerr still subbed him out with 4:26 remaining in favor of veteran forward Andrew Wiggins.
Golden State was up 116-114 when Moody checked out. According to Kerr, the Warriors wanted to have their best players on the court to close the game. However, he said that he should have stuck with the hot hand:
“Moses hits three 3s, he’s rolling, and we kind of overthought it,” Kerr said.
“We wanted to get our best defensive group on the floor. But Moses was really good defensively, and watching the tape over again, that was a really terrible decision. I should have left him out there at least for a couple more minutes. … I deserve all the heat I’m taking today.”
With the loss, the Warriors finished 2-2 in Western Conference Group C and were eliminated from the In-Season Tournament. Meanwhile, the Kings (4-0) won the group and secured a place in the quarterfinals.
Klay Thompson says Warriors can’t get discouraged following Sacramento loss
Following Tuesday’s loss to Sacramento, Warriors star shooting guard Klay Thompson spoke about how Golden State shouldn’t get discouraged. He said that the Warriors have a prime opportunity to get back on track at home in their next game:
“We have to stick with it, not to get discouraged about a bad night like tonight, and realize that we’re going home with an opportunity to right the ship,” Thompson said.
Thompson added that he still believes in his squad despite their recent struggles:
“I still have cold-hearted belief in this team and we can do some special things,” Thompson said.
The Warriors (8-10) host the LA Clippers (7-9) on Thursday. The game will mark the first of a home-and-home series between the two teams, with their second matchup coming on Saturday in LA.
