Dub Hub, Daily Warriors Links for 2/24/23: Klay Thompson still believes in the Warriors despite the team’s struggles

Good Morning Dub Nation,

Last night, the Golden State Warriors began the second half of the season right where they left off before the break. Unfortunately, that meant losing another game on the road, this time to the Los Angeles Lakers by a score of 124-111. After the game, head coach Steve Kerr told members of the media that the team is still struggling with the same issues that has plagued them all season long — defending without fouling, poor shot selection, and bad execution on both sides of the floor.

Playing without two of their best players in Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins, the offense struggled to get anything going against the Lakers. In his latest article, Golden State of Mind’s very own Joe Viray highlights a key factor in the team’s poor offensive performance on Thursday night.

Via Golden State of Mind:

Consider how poorly the Warriors’ starters shot from the field:

• Jordan Poole: 3-of-13 (23.1%)

• Klay Thompson: 8-of-19 (42.1%)

• Donte DiVincenzo: 2-of-7 (28.6%)

• Jonathan Kuminga: 4-of-12 (33.3%)

• Draymond Green: 3-of-10 (30.0%)

No starter even managed to reach 50% from the field. All of them combined to shoot 8-of-30 on threes — a ghastly 26.7%.

The math is simple. More misses equals less opportunities for opponents to take the ball out of the basket, which doesn’t allow the Warriors to get back on the other end to set their defense. They’re now forced to scramble toward the other end and match up to the man closest to them, which can also present cross-matching problems that are more worrisome in the secondary break.

The mediocre performances from last night’s game has the Warriors tied for ninth place in the standings with a record of 29-30. They have a half game lead over the eleventh-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, yet only trail the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers by three games. Despite the team’s struggles, the compact nature of the West standings this season has Klay Thompson believing the Warriors still have a shot while many are beginning to count them out.

Golden State won’t have too long to dwell on this latest loss as they tip off a five-game home stretch on Friday with a second night of a back-to-back against the Houston Rockets. The home games will be a welcome sight for a Warriors team that is 22-7 at the Chase Center this season, so hopefully they can go on a run that will get them back on track.

Here are the rest of today’s stories:

In case you missed it from Golden State of Mind:

• Player grades: Warriors vs. Lakers
• Lack of offensive juice is plaguing the Warriors’ ability to defend
• Warriors start second half with 124-111 loss to the Lakers, dropping below .500
• Can Ty Jerome dunk? An investigation
• Gary Payton II wasn’t surprised by failed physical, discusses Toradol situation

Other Warriors News:

• The tumbling Warriors get rocked by the Lakers to open dangerous stretch run (The Athletic)
• Warriors searching for aggressive defensive intelligence in stretch run (NBC Sports Bay Area)
• Draymond Green calls on NBA stars to participate more in All-Star Weekend (NBC Sports Bay Area)
• Q&A: Jordan Poole talks increased role, extension with Warriors & more (NBA)
• Warriors’ Andrew Wiggins will remain away from team indefinitely because of ‘family matter’ (San Francisco Chronicle)

NBA News:

• Lowe’s 10 things: LA’s gamble on Westbrook, Chicago’s woeful offense, and the meaning of a high five (ESPN)
• Joel Embiid does his ‘Bill Russell’ impression in 76ers’ win (ESPN)
• Schultz: Hawks have fired another coach, but where’s Trae Young in this? (The Athletic)
• Coach Michael Malone On Nikola Jokic: ‘He’s The MVP’ (NBA)
• James Harden helps Michigan State shooting survivor heal (Twitter)

A tweet to end the week:

Kevon Looney plays his heart out every night for the Warriors and Thursday night was no different. Whether it’s coming off the bench, playing tremendous defense, or grabbing rebound after tough rebound, Looney is the ultimate professional and continues to be the most underrated big man in the league. Enjoy the weekend Dub Nation!