Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry. Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

Warriors suffer worst home loss in 40 years

By Sai Mohan | Last updated Jan 21, 2025 8:15 AM ET

The Warriors continued their descent Monday with their worst home loss in the Steve Kerr era and their biggest margin of defeat in 40 years. Stephen Curry and Co. were mauled, 125-85, by the Celtics at home, falling to 21-21 for the season after starting with a 12-3 record.

The 40-point loss marks their worst defeat at home since they suffered a 45-point drubbing to the Mavericks in 1985, per ESPN. Furthermore, the 85 points marked Golden State's lowest output in a home game in which Curry has played under Kerr, who took charge of the team in 2014-15.

The Warriors similarly suffered a 52-point drubbing to the Celtics last March as part of the 2023-24 season.

The Celtics hand the Warriors their most lopsided home loss in 40 years with a 125-85 win https://t.co/qLIxbsyBJL
— Boston 25 News (@boston25) January 21, 2025

On the flip side, Monday's win marked Boston's sixth-largest road victory in franchise history, per statistician Sean Grande.

On January 15, 1985, the Warriors lost at home to Dallas, 149-104.

Today was their worst home loss since. https://t.co/F9MuRmX0fH
— Sean Grande (@SeanGrandePBP) January 21, 2025

The Warriors were without Draymond Green (calf strain), Jonathan Kuminga (ankle), Brandin Podziemski (abdomen) and Kyle Anderson (hip). Yet, Curry and Kerr were unwilling to cite injuries as a factor in their historic defeat, with the latter deeming it a "demoralizing" loss.

With the Feb. 6 trade deadline fast approaching, the Warriors have been rumored to make wholesale changes to the roster to give Curry a fighting chance in the playoffs. However, the "Inside the NBA" on TNT crew has advised the Warriors to tank the season and focus on developing its young core of Kuminga, Podz and Moses Moody.

"Keep guys like Kuminga and his age," Kenny Smith advised the Warriors. "That group is where they need to be."

"They should go young, through the draft, through trade"

Kenny gives his take on where the Warriors should go from here ️ pic.twitter.com/FOqPaUtlBa
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 20, 2025

If the Warriors do heed Smith's advice, it could lead to them missing the postseason for a second consecutive year. Yet, they could build a roster good enough to compete for a title in a few years.

With Curry turning 37 in March, the Warriors find themselves in a dicey situation trying to navigate their dual-timeline approach.

Sai Mohan

A veteran sportswriter based in Portugal, Sai covers the NBA for Yardbarker and a few local news outlets. He had the honor of covering sporting events across four different continents as a newspaper reporter. Some of his all-time favorite athletes include Mike Tyson, Larry Bird, Luís Figo, Ayrton Senna and Steffi Graf.

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