SAN FRANCISCO – Coach Steve Kerr estimated the Warriors gave away 10 possessions Sunday night at Chase Center, falling to the Los Angeles Clippers 112-104 in their first loss of the 2024-25 NBA season after two consecutive blowout victories.
“Sure did,” Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski told NBC Sports Bay Area at his locker after the loss when told of the number Kerr came to.
The Warriors opened the season against the Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz, two teams projected to be in the bottom of the Western Conference standings, with an average of more than 133 points. Headlines credited Buddy Hield’s blistering start shooting the ball, as well as the Warriors swarming defensively and their depth shining as bright as their biggest stars.
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Another reason for the Warriors reigning supreme over the Blazers and Jazz was ball movement, as well as taking care of it, too.
Throughout their undefeated 6-0 preseason, the Warriors averaged 30 assists and 18 turnovers. Then to start the season in Portland and Utah, they averaged 36.5 assists and only 16.5 turnovers, totaling 40 more assists (73) than turnovers (33). Those numbers then took an ugly turn in front of the Warriors’ home crowd Sunday.
Steph Curry, before exiting early in the fourth quarter to a left ankle injury, had six assists but also six turnovers. Hield’s hot shooting turned cold, and his off night was accompanied by four turnovers, which were more than the three shots he made all game. Kerr used 13 players, including Lindy Waters III's 32 seconds of run, and 10 had at least one turnover.
Kerr's starting five tallied 11 turnovers and 10 assists, painting a picture for the team as a whole. The Warriors only had 19 assists on their 38 made shots, all while having 21 turnovers to which the Clippers scored 21 points.
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“Well No. 1, the Clippers were great defensively,” Kerr said. “But we got really loose with the ball and we made some careless plays. They’re a very athletic team, very well coached. They were in spots to bother us.”
Kerr took blame for the Warriors' need to work under duress better. They snatched 28 steals in their first two games and came away with another 10 on Sunday night, but the Clippers one-upped them there with 11. Veteran guard Kris Dunn led both teams with four steals, and four Clippers had multiple steals.
Clippers coach Ty Lue is considered one of the best defensive coaches in the NBA, forming a switch-heavy scheme. The Warriors in their pregame film session discussed the need for their corner guy cutting and the wing spacing to the corner to hurt the Clippers’ switches, and when they go five-out to double cut because they like to point-switch.
“We weren’t consistent with that,” Podziemski said. “At times we did that and it was good, but just not consistent enough with that.”
In their first two games of the season, the Clippers were forcing their opponents – the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets – to turn the ball over an average of 16 times. They ranked 23rd in the NBA last season in forcing 12.4 turnovers per game. The Warriors far too often Sunday night were their own worst enemies, making careless turnovers.
They had four turnovers in the first quarter, doubled that to eight turnovers in the second quarter, seven in the third and finally only two turnovers in the fourth as their comeback couldn’t be completed.
“A lot of the turnovers were easy twos, easy dunks for them on the other end,” Podziemski said. “It alleviates pressure off James [Harden] to score all the time. You saw that Derrick Jones hit a couple threes, Kris Dunn started feeling good. Just got to be collectively more sound.”
The Warriors have one day to correct their first loss of the season. Curry is getting an MRI Sunday night after using the word “mild” or “moderate” to describe his injury to Kerr. Whether he misses no time, a short amount of time or an extended period, the Warriors know they have to clean up their turnovers, an issue that feels like a yearly topic.
Next up, the New Orleans Pelicans (2-1) come to Chase Center for a back-to-back on Tuesday and Wednesday night, having averaged 12 steals per game, and also causing an average of more than 18 turnovers. Podziemski could slide into the starting lineup as the Warriors’ leading ball-handler if Curry is to miss games, and the young guard isn’t concerned about one sloppy game offensively.
“It was a good first test of a really good defense,” Podziemski said. “When you face it for the first time you just got to take it and learn from it. New Orleans is a great, long defense too, and we just got to learn from it.”