Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr admitted that his team did not maintain their grit down the stretch after they lost against Dallas Mavericks by 107-101 on Sunday night. In fact, GSW had a 14-point advantage before the start of the final quarter but Dallas Mavericks were able to turn the tables in the last 12 minutes. Furthermore, GSW had a 19-point advantage at one stage but squandered it.
Luka Doncic scored 34 points for the Mavericks to help his team bounce back in the contest. For Golden State Warriors, Stephen Curry scored 27 points but his efforts went in vain.
Dallas Mavericks scored 33 points in the fourth quarter whereas Golden State Warriors could only manage to add 13 points during that phase.
“We did not maintain our grit down the stretch,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “We just let our momentum get away from us …We can’t just say, ‘Oh well when Draymond [Green] and Andre [Iguodala] get back we will be better.’ It doesn’t matter who’s out there. We’ve got to get better at executing under pressure and maintaining competence.
“It’s actually good to go through and feel it because this is what it feels like in the playoffs when you’re playing against a really good team.”
Meanwhile, Dallas Mavericks went beserk at one stage in the fourth quarter as they scored 26 points while GSW could only manage a solitary point.
On the other hand, Steph Curry feels his team defended well in the first three quarters but they were flat after they couldn’t hit their targets.
“We played great defense for 36 minutes,” Stephen Curry said. “We felt like we had the game under control. For whatever reason, our energy shifted when we missed a couple of shots, empty possessions. They come down and score, we start getting deflated. And for no reason.”
Golden State Warriors will next face Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.