1) When Draymond (12 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists) picked up his sixth foul and checked out of the contest at the 2:33 mark of overtime, so too did the Warriors’ chances of pulling out the victory. With Dray out, the Dubs were short their defensive ace and their offensive catalyst. Already down three points at the time, the Warriors were outscored 12 to eight the rest of the game.
April 5, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) shoots the basketball against Minnesota Timberwolves center Gorgui Dieng (5) during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Timberwolves defeated the Warriors 124-117. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
2) The sky isn’t falling. The alarms don’t need to be sounded. The Dubs have lost two of their last three at home, yes, but they have 69 wins on the season and have the inside lane for home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. Their play has fallen off of late (blame fatigue, blame boredom, blame getting everybody’s best effort, whatever), but this team has shown all season long that they play their best when their best is needed. While it’s easy to focus on the two recent losses, don’t forget these Dubs are a combined 11-1 against the Spurs, Thunder, Cavs and Clippers (i.e. the teams that matter).
3) Turnovers, man. In the last two losses, the Warriors had 45 combined giveaways.
4) Karl-Anthony Towns had no problem guarding Curry one-on-one off the pick and roll. KAT’s tall enough to contend Steph’s 3-point shot, and mobile and long enough to give chase in the lane and alter shots at the rim. He also showed extended range on his jumper and some nifty quick-footed moves in the low post. Dude is a 20-year-old rookie but he’s already one of the best players in the league.
5) The uninspired loss took some shine off the Warriors finally having their full squad back for the first time since January. Andre Iguodala returned from a 13-game absence but, with the rust, his timing was off and he was mostly ineffective (4 points, 3 turnovers).
6) When Shabazz Muhammad (10 PPG, 45% FG) drops 35 points on 9-of-12 shooting by continually slithering into the lane in transition, there might be a leak in the defense.
7) For the first time in the Steve Kerr-era, the Warriors lost a game after holding a lead of 15 points of more (17-point advantage in the third).
8) Andrew Wiggins (32 points, 5 boards, 4 assists, 6 steals) was once traded for Kevin Love. In hindsight, that’s probably the second-worst transaction in recent NBA history. (The worst, of course, was Rubio and Flynn ahead of Curry by these same Wolves.)
9) In the Bulls’ historic 1995-1996 season, three of the team’s 12 losses came after March 23, late in the season. One was to a barely .500 Charlotte team and the other was at the hands of a terrible expansion Toronto squad (who got 15 points from former Warrior Carlos Rogers!). The Bulls bounced back pretty well from those unexpected losses: 15-3 in the playoffs, championship No. 4 in the Jordan era.
10) The Spurs come to town on Thursday. Will Steve Kerr keep it vanilla in preparation of a potential meeting in the post-season, or are these Dubs going to want some revenge for the recent poor play and loss in San Antonio? I’m guessing they go full Kobe.