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Blame Warriors starters for woes
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry. David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Warriors starters are to blame for season's woes

By Ethan Scott  |  Last updated 1/20/23

After Thursday's 121-118 overtime loss to the Celtics, the Golden State Warriors find themselves at 22-23 and flailing.

The defending champs haven't hit the panic button yet, but they may soon with more mind-blowing losses such as the one in Boston. Starters deserve most of the blame.

With 28 seconds left in regulation, Stephen Curry scored a driving layup. As the Celtics moved up the court, Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole miscommunicated on a switch, leaving Jaylen Brown wide open for a game-tying three. 

The main problems for the Warriors are their terrible defensive rotations and a lack of communication, especially on the road. Golden State, in ninth place in the West, is 5-18 away from home.

The Warriors insist they can "flip the switch." 

"We're capable, but it's a matter of execution and being able to sustain it," Curry said, per ESPN.com "There's another level to get to that we haven't gotten [to] in terms of putting together a full 48 minutes."

Under Steve Kerr, the Warriors are known as one of the best third-quarter teams in NBA history. This season, however, Golden State is a disaster in the third quarter. 

Critics point to the Warriors' younger players -- Jonathan Kuminga, James Wiseman, and Moses Moody -- for an inability to execute down the stretch.

In this clip, however, four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson has fumble fingers:

If the starters don't step up their game, the Warriors can forget about a repeat. 

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