Programming Note: Tune into “Warriors Pregame Live” at 6 p.m. PT on Tuesday on NBC Sports Bay Area before the Warriors and Grizzlies tip-off. Immediately after the final buzzer, tune back in for “Warriors Postgame Live.”
SAN FRANCISCO – There are a dozen ways to dissect the 53 glorious minutes of basketball submitted by the Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, and interested observers can engage in debate until Tuesday when Golden State tips off against the Memphis Grizzlies.
In the aftermath of a 124-119 overtime loss to Los Angeles, there was Draymond Green saying he “smoked” a layup that would have tied the game with 26.5 seconds left in OT. That’s not why the Warriors walked out of Chase Center without a guaranteed NBA playoff berth and into the play-in tournament.
Nor should much of the blame go to Buddy Hield for missing a potential game-tying 3-point shot with 5.3 seconds remaining in OT. And, no, it’s too simple to blame coach Steve Kerr for drawing up a play for Hield; there was no way Clippers coach Ty Lue was going allow Stephen Curry an inch of space to even see the rim.
These issues didn’t help the Warriors, but they are not what tilted the game toward the Clippers.
This loss came organically. It was about the Warriors, collectively, being dominated on the glass, finishing minus-17 in rebounding, and too often getting outhustled or outmuscled in the pursuit of loose balls.
“That was the part of the game – the only part of the game – that really that bothered me a little bit,” coach Steve Kerr said.
“It’s tough to win,” Green said, referring to the rebounding deficit. “We also didn’t get a lot of loose balls. Rebounding is one thing, but then some of these loose balls that are just bouncing we’re not getting, the long rebounds, they’re loose and we’re not getting them. We’ve got to be better at getting those balls.”
The Warriors have two days to digest and review their work. And they surely must know a similar effort on Tuesday might result in another loss and rob them of a second chance at a few days of rest before the actual playoffs.
What’s the fix?
“Maybe contest some shots a little bit better,” Jimmy Butler III said. “Oh, [and] get to loose balls. There you go. The loose balls. And rebound. I think my sorry ass had one rebound. So, if I rebound a lot more, the game might be different.”
Butler’s self-assessment, one rebound (in 48 minutes) was accurate. Among his fellow starters, Curry had three, Green had two and Moses Moody none. The fifth starter, Brandin Podziemski, pulled a team-high seven. Gary Payton II, playing 25 minutes off the bench, was next with four.
Los Angeles big man Ivica Zubac finished with 17 rebounds. James Harden had seven, Kawhi Leonard six. Yes, those three Clippers outrebounded the entire Warriors roster. And LA is the NBA’s 17th-ranked rebounding team.
The Grizzlies are No. 2 in rebounding, behind only the Houston Rockets, who would be Golden State’s next opponent should they beat Memphis. The Warriors finished the season ranked seventh in rebounds per game – but were only 14th after the NBA All-Star break.
Even as the Warriors were the league’s top-rated defense during that span, rebounding has been their weakest element. This likely is a side effect of such heavy reliance on small lineups featuring Green (6-foot-6), Butler (6-foot-7) and Moody (6-foot-5) in the front court.
If you’re going to lose the rebounding battle, it’s a must to offset it by forcing turnovers and grabbing loose balls. By playing with extreme urgency.
“A couple times ball was on the floor, we tried to bounce it instead of [grabbing it],” Kerr said. “And then it’s a great lesson. We’ll show those clips and remind the guys that the ball is gold. The ball is everything. And so, we’ve got to do everything possible to secure the loose balls.
Between Sunday night and Tuesday evening, Curry said, there will “a lot” of focus on the hustle plays and rebounding.
“But it’s not just technique,” Curry said. “It’s just mentality. Like it’s just go get it, and everybody has that chip on their shoulder. Because when we do get rebounds, you see us flying in transition. Anybody who grabs a rebound and [throws an] outlet pass, we have confidence that everybody can run, and we got spacing. That’s usually our best offense.
“So even with Memphis, they’re a bigger team, but you can kind of get them in transition if you can secure rebounds and those 50-50 balls. That’ll probably be a good test or a marker if we can win that game.”
The Warriors shot well on Sunday, 54.4 percent from the field, including 45.5 percent beyond the arc. They shot five more free throws and made four more. They recorded 31 assists. They were plus-3 in points off turnovers.
They were minus-8 in second-chance points, as LA grabbed nine offensive rebounds.
The Warriors are 14-18 when outrebounded this season. They were outrebounded in four of their final six regular-season games. If this is a trend, and it continues, their postseason will be shorter than they could imagine.
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