Kerr: Warriors played Mavs 'like it was an exhibition game'
Following a 30-point loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr expressed frustration with his team's lack of preparation.
"Biggest game of the year and it was over before it started. Really, really disappointing," Kerr said postgame, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon. "We've got a young team. Of the guys who were out there tonight, I think we have only three guys who were in the playoffs. Tonight was kind of like a playoff game for Dallas. They lost last night. They knew we were on their heels."
Kerr added: "They came out like it was a playoff game, and we came out like it was an exhibition game."
The 10th-seeded Warriors (31-31) had a chance to close the gap on the No. 6 Mavericks (34-27) and move one step closer to avoiding a spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament. Instead, Golden State's lopsided defeat keeps them 3.5 games back of Dallas in the standings.
To avoid a play-in tournament appearance, the Warriors have to leapfrog the Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, Memphis Grizzlies, and Portland Trail Blazers in their remaining 10 games.
Golden State suffered through the NBA's longest scoring drought in nearly 12 years during the loss to the Mavericks, according to MacMahon. The Warriors didn't produce a single point for 9:38 during the first and second quarters, getting outscored 28-0 during that span.
The offensive collapse contributed to a measly 29-point showing through the first 24 minutes, which marked the lowest-scoring half of Kerr's head coaching career.
"I'm not that concerned about a nine-minute scoring drought. I'm concerned about defense. I'm concerned about a level of intensity and preparation and competitiveness. That's what was missing," Kerr said. "I'm the head coach, and I did not have them ready to play, clearly."
The Warriors will look to bounce back when they take on the lottery-bound Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday.