Anyone who watched the Golden State Warriors' 107-86 loss to the Houston Rockets on Thursday could probably tell that they weren't themselves. The Warriors couldn't make a shot, and a fourth-quarter run from the Rockets put the game out of reach well before the final whistle.
It was the first game that Draymond Green and Kevin Durant played together since their altercation that resulted in a one-game suspension for Green. Neither looked good -- but then again, neither did anyone on the Warriors roster. After the game, Golden State head coach Steve Kerr explained that the team is still struggling emotionally.
"We're banged up a little bit physically and right now we're banged up spiritually," Kerr said, via Marcus Thompson of The Athletic. "There is no getting around that. So we've got to fill our cup and get our spirit back. And we're going to. It's a long, long season. It's a tough stretch we're dealing with."
Kerr added that he like the way that Green approached the game, despite being held scoreless and committing five turnovers, and that the team has to "get back on the saddle."
"It's a tough stretch we're dealing with. But I know our guys. Draymond may not have had his best night tonight. In fact he played very poorly. But I liked his approach. He was genuine out there. He was competing. Nothing went his way. But I like where he's heading."
— Marcus Thompson (@ThompsonScribe) November 16, 2018
"Now the rest of the team, we've got to all lift our spirits up and get back on the saddle. But we're going through a little bit of a rough patch."
— Marcus Thompson (@ThompsonScribe) November 16, 2018
Kerr said on Tuesday that he was never on a team that didn't go through a rough period like this, but it's clear that it's affecting the Warriors on the court. They'll have their first chance to snap out of it on Saturday against the Dallas Mavericks.
