Kevin Durant blames Game 3 loss on lack of rebounding

Kevin Durant, the Golden State Warriors superstar forward, blamed the Dubs’ Game 3 loss on the team’s lack of defensive rebounding.

Despite dropping 46 points, Kevin Durant found himself hanging his head after the Golden State Warriors lost Game 3 in their first of two straight road performances in Houston.

Per The Athletic’s Anthony Slater, Durant blamed the team’s loss on rebounding.

"“They got 17 offensive rebounds. That’s why they won the game. So, they definitely played with a lot more force.”"

This was actually a very mature response from Durant. He could’ve thrown his teammates under the bus after dropped a game-high 46. He could’ve taken subtle shots at the coaching or any other individual player.

But, he didn’t.

He talked about the team’s performance as a whole and how Houston fought their way through the adversity of the game. That said, this was ultimately another phenomenal game from Durant, adding on six assists with his 46 points.

Durant does talk about a point of concern: Offensive rebounds. The team posted a -10 deficit in offensive rebounds and a -20 deficit in total rebounds. That’s a problem. No team besides Golden State will even be close to competing after seeing that rebounding spread.

The coaching staff should’ve seen this coming though. They played the Hamptons 5 all 40+ minutes. Much of the game, they played together.

With that lineup, your tallest player is Kevin Durant, a forward that’s never averaged over nine rebounds per game. As for that lineup’s center, Draymond Green, the team’s do-it-all player, is an elite rebounder for his size but will still struggle to haul down boards over the 7-foot Clint Capela.

However, over the last few years, the Thompson-Curry-Durant-Green-Iguodala lineup has been the team’s best. It’s not even close that they’re at the top of their game with those five on the court.

But, must the lineup be compromised in order to get more rebounding on the court?

In the past, they’ve created such an unstoppable offensive force with that lineup that they’ve forced teams to play their style. Will they be forced to play Houston’s style after that -20 spread on the glass?

The Warriors’ centers combined for just 16 minutes and tallied just two rebounds. That’s also a problem, and it’s something that must be addressed for Golden State.

That said, I’m confident head coach Steve Kerr will figure it out.

There’s no reason to be concerned for the Golden State Warriors after their Game 3 loss.