Postgame Roundup: See what the Warriors had to say following their loss against the Suns on Wednesday night.
The Golden State Warriors lost to the Phoenix Suns by a score of 107-103. Despite the loss, the Warriors showed up to this playoff-like atmosphere with the high-energy and the intensity that has been lacking in recent games. Unfortunately, it was not enough to overcome the missed opportunities and the turnovers that would eventually lead to Golden State’s late game demise. Here’s some of the takeaways from the Warriors postgame pressers:
Head coach Steve Kerr began his presser by praising the team’s competitiveness. Although the Warriors started off slowly, they picked up the energy on both sides of the ball and it remained that way for the rest of the game. Offensively, the ball was moving and players were making purposeful cuts to the basket. However, they couldn’t capitalize on the opportunities that they created as they went on to miss several open layups that proved costly at the end of the game. Kerr was most proud of his team’s defense though. Golden State played with a focus worthy of their 3rd ranked defensive rating as they forced Phoenix to shoot 25% from the three-point line and 41.3% from the field.
Here’s what Kerr had to say about the game:
"I loved the competitiveness. It was a great performance in terms of our defense, our energy, our fight from start to finish... That's a great sign."
— Kylen Mills (@KylenMills) March 31, 2022
-Head Coach Steve Kerr on tonight's close loss to the Suns. @kron4news #DubNation
“The main thing is, when you defend you’re always in the game,” Steve Kerr says on the Warriors barely losing to the Suns despite Jordan Poole being the only player who really brought the firepower offensively
— Dalton Johnson (@DaltonJ_Johnson) March 31, 2022
Kerr says Poole was "trying the Chris Paul trick" and attempting to get fouled in the closing seconds pic.twitter.com/JYumeKFh09
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 31, 2022
Kerr thought Draymond was "a step quicker" tonight pic.twitter.com/Ewnh0BiKtN
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 31, 2022
Kerr on Klay
— Jason Dumas (@JDumasReports) March 31, 2022
“Lot of ups and downs and he’s such a competitor, he wants to do well so badly. He tends to press when things aren’t going his way, but that’s just because of how much he cares. Just gotta keep encouraging him. Whole point is we gotta get great shots for eachother.”
Jordan Poole sparked the Warriors offense early with 15 points in the first quarter. His hot shooting kept the Dubs’ offense alive as he finished the game with 38 points, 7 assists, and 9 rebounds. In his presser, Poole put a special emphasis on his rebounds as he believed that those are the winning plays that every successful team needs to make. Meanwhile, Draymond Green said he felt better physically on Wednesday night and it showed in his spectacular defensive performance. His early defense on Chris Paul set the tone on that side of the ball as his activity level allowed him to blow up the Suns’ offense and force them into tough shots. The combination of Poole’s scoring and Green’s defensive energy had the entire Chase Arena fired up and was a very positive sign for the team moving towards the playoffs.
Here’s what the Warriors players had to say after the game:
The Warriors "don't do moral victories," but Draymond believes they found themselves again vs. Phoenix pic.twitter.com/0uusotLN10
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 31, 2022
Draymond thought he did a better job of leading the Dubs tonight pic.twitter.com/inHuSCiCGH
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 31, 2022
Draymond says he felt better out there tonight pic.twitter.com/tV3gnha0CK
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 31, 2022
Draymond on Poole jawing with CP3: "When you get legends like Chris Paul arguing with you and you're young, that's a beautiful sign" pic.twitter.com/jRZBU2q9N5
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 31, 2022
Poole reflects on the closing seconds of the Warriors' loss to Phoenix pic.twitter.com/cofUicKYrN
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 31, 2022
Jordan Poole took a giant leap forward as a shooter in March. Made 44.5 percent of his 3s. Hit 67 total, an NBA high. Poole on his shot: “Feels the same. Everything feels the same. They’re just going in.” pic.twitter.com/JbYq2c8zIM
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 31, 2022
Gary Payton II played a great overall game. He always brings it with the on-ball defense, but on Wednesday night, he provided 10 points of scoring on several well-timed cuts to the basket. At one point in the second half, Payton tweaked his ankle and limped off the court during a dead ball but was able to return to the game.
Here’s an update on Payton’s injury:
GP2 on what happened when he limped back to the locker room: "Yet again I tweaked my ankle. But I'll be alright."
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) March 31, 2022
Poole also had an injury scare during Wednesday’s game. Here’s what Kerr had to say about it:
"He's got a little flare for the dramatic, Jordan does ha.. when he gets hurt the whole world knows he's hurt."
— Kylen Mills (@KylenMills) March 31, 2022
-Head Coach Steve Kerr was asked about Jordan Poole banging his wrist in tonight's game. He's not worried. @kron4news #DubNation
The quotes of the night belong to Draymond Green and Jordan Poole. There was a lot of jawing between the two teams and Green and Poole made sure to let them know they aren’t the ones to be messed with:
A lot was said between Draymond and Jae Crowder in the final moments of tonight's game pic.twitter.com/jkTtqiWiud
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 31, 2022
Jordan Poole on chirping with Chris Paul:
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) March 31, 2022
“It’s a playoff atmosphere and you can’t back down from anything… If someone got something to say, I’ll probably say something back.” ️
With this loss, the Warriors move to 48-29 on the season and currently slot in 4th place in the Western Conference standings. Golden State remains tied with the Dallas Mavericks for the 3rd seed and leads the 5th place Denver Nuggets by 2 games. Up next, the Dubs will play another home matchup against the Utah Jazz on Saturday night.