Turnovers devastate the Warriors as they abandon the pregame plan against the Clippers

Turnovers devastate Warriors as they abandon pregame plan against Clippers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – Coach Steve Kerr estimated the Warriors suffered 10 possessions in a 112-104 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night at Chase Center, their first loss of the 2024-25 NBA season after two straight blowout victories represented.

“Sure,” Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski told NBC Sports Bay Area at his locker after the loss when he learned of the number Kerr had come up with.

The Warriors opened the season against the Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz, two teams expected to finish at the bottom of the Western Conference with an average of more than 133 points. The headlines praised Buddy Hield's explosive start shooting the ball, as well as the Warriors' defense and depth, which shone as brightly as their biggest stars.

Another reason the Warriors dominated the Blazers and Jazz was ball movement and how they handled it.

During their undefeated 6-0 preseason, the Warriors averaged 30 assists and 18 turnovers. Then, at the start of the season in Portland and Utah, they averaged 36.5 assists and just 16.5 turnovers, for a total of 40 assists (73) more than turnovers (33). Those numbers then took an ugly turn on Sunday in front of the Warriors' home crowd.

Before Steph Curry left early in the fourth quarter with a left ankle injury, he had six assists but also six turnovers. Hield's hot shot turned into a cold shot, and his miss was accompanied by four turnovers, more than the three shots he took all game. Kerr used 13 players, including Lindy Waters III's 32-second run, and 10 had at least one turnover.

Kerr's starting lineup had 11 turnovers and 10 assists, which paints a picture for the team as a whole. The Warriors had just 19 assists on their 38 shots made, while they had all 21 turnovers in which the Clippers scored 21 points.

“Well, No. 1, the Clippers were great defensively,” Kerr said. “But we handled the ball very loosely and made some careless plays. They are a very athletic team, very well trained. They were in some places that bothered us.”

Kerr blamed himself for making the Warriors work better under duress. They had 28 steals in their first two games and came away with another 10 on Sunday night, but the Clippers topped them with 11. Senior guard Kris Dunn led both teams with four steals, and four Clippers had multiple steals.

Clippers coach Ty Lue is considered one of the best defensive coaches in the NBA and is building a change-heavy system. The Warriors discussed in their pregame film session the need for their corner guy cut and wing distance to the corner to hurt the Clippers' switches, and if they make a five-out, a double cut because they like to do point switches.

“We weren’t consistent,” said Podziemski. “Sometimes we did that and it was good, but it just wasn’t consistent enough.”

In their first two games of the season, the Clippers forced their opponents – the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets – to turn the ball over an average of 16 times. They ranked 23rd in the NBA with 12.4 turnovers per game last season. The Warriors were their own worst enemies far too often on Sunday night and made careless turnovers.

They had four turnovers in the first quarter, doubled that to eight turnovers in the second quarter, seven in the third and finally just two turnovers in the fourth as their comeback could not be completed.

“A lot of turnovers were simple two-pointers, easy dunks on the other side,” Podziemski said. “It takes the pressure off James [Harden] constantly scoring points. You saw Derrick Jones hit a few threes, Kris Dunn started to feel good. It just needs to be more solid overall.”

The Warriors have one day to correct their first loss of the season. Curry will undergo an MRI on Sunday night after describing his injury to Kerr as “mild” or “moderate.” Whether he misses no time, a short period of time, or a longer period of time, the Warriors know they need to clean up their turnovers, a topic that seems like an annual one.

Next up, the New Orleans Pelicans (2-1) head to Chase Center for a back-to-back matchup on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, averaging 12 steals per game and also averaging more than 18 turnovers. Podziemski could move into the starting lineup as the Warriors' lead ball-handler if Curry has to miss games, and the young guard isn't worried about sloppy play on offense.

“It was a good first test of a really good defense,” Podziemski said. “When you're faced with it for the first time, you just have to accept it and learn from it. New Orleans is also a great, long defense and we just have to learn from it.”

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast