The Golden State Warriors suffered their first loss of the season because the turnover bug negated an early 19-point lead and half of their turnovers were unforced errors. Which means it wasn’t great Grizzlies defense but rather, sloppy play and poor decisions that kept Memphis in the game and ultimately proved too much to overcome in one OT period.
This really gets my goat. The Dubs were primed to kick off a very rare, and wonderfully timed, 8-game home stand that could provide crucial later in the season if we are fighting for playoff positioning. This tidbit from Warriors.com pretty much sums it up…
Like they did in last week’s home opener last Thursday, the Dubs lost their 19-point advantage. And like that game last week, turnovers were the culprit. The Dubs tallied 22 turnovers in their first loss of the season, leading to 23 points for the Grizzlies. While Memphis turned up their defense down the stretch, several of the Warriors’ miscues were unforced. Perhaps the most costly of those turnovers was an eight-second violation following a defensive stop with the game tied at 98-98 with just over a minute left in regulation.
Game recap blog post on Warriors.com
That’s really all you need to know or care about from this contest. They gave up the ball 22 times which translated to 23 points for Memphis. That’s the ball game folks. You can’t spot teams, any team, 23 points and expect to be successful in that game; let alone come playoff time. It looks like the Dubs are capable of returning to the playoffs, and maybe even make a bona fide title run, but this sloppy aspect of their game will their kryptonite.
