Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

Warriors must do some soul-searching after embarrassing loss vs. Celtics

By Adam Taylor | Last updated Jan 21, 2025 9:47 AM ET

The Golden State Warriors hit a new low on Monday as they suffered a 40-point loss to the Boston Celtics. Steve Kerr's team could not overcome Boston's stringent defense, which held them to 26.4% shooting from three-point range and 34.8% from the field.

The Celtics have stuttered over the past six weeks but came into the Chase Center with a point to prove. Golden State beat this roster in the 2022 NBA Finals and have consistently upped their game when facing Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Kerr told the media that he didn't want his team rewatching the loss. Instead, he would rather the roster re-focus their energy on an upcoming game against the Sacramento Kings.

“We just kind of take it week by week. We’ve got Sacramento on Wednesday and we’ve got to flush this one down the toilet and get ready for Sac,” Kerr said. “We’ve been very competitive all year. Our guys have fought, but we’ve had a handful of these where we just get blown out. These are demoralizing. The most important thing for me is for our guys to forget his one. We have a day off tomorrow, and then be ready to roll in Sacramento on Wednesday.”

“We’ve got to flush this one down the toilet and get ready for Sac. We’ve been very competitive all year. Our guys have fought, but we’ve had a handful of these where we get blown out. These are demoralizing.”

Steve Kerr on blowout loss to the Celtics pic.twitter.com/d4K8z0nRoW
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) January 21, 2025

Part of being a professional athlete is overcoming a lousy performance and moving on to the next game. However, when that performance is a 40-point trouncing on your home court, with no bright spot to point to, it shouldn't be easy to move on.

This is a Warriors team that has two four-time champions on its roster. They know what it takes to win at the highest level. Furthermore, they are still expected to be among the contenders out West. As such, you can't simply move on from a humbling of this magnitude. There are lessons to learn from a defeat like this one.

Kerr is known for his ability to manage characters and ego. He's also a serial winner in the NBA, both as a player and a head coach. So, if he believes it's best to move on from this loss as quickly as possible, you would be wise to believe him.

Nevertheless, if the Warriors are going to return to the upper echelon of the NBA, perhaps a film session is precisely what they need.

Adam Taylor

Adam Taylor is a sports journalist based out of the UK. Adam has been covering the NBA for nearly a decade with a core focus on the Boston Celtics. He currently holds bylines with Yardbarker, SB Nation and USA Today

More must-reads: