Steve Kerr told reporters pre-game that his team doesn't have enough to seperate themselves in the Western Conference, with that again becoming painfully evident in a blowout 130-105 loss to the Phoenix Suns at Chase Center on Friday night.
The Warriors found themselves down three at the end of the first-quarter, but were thoroughly outplayed over the remaining thee periods in a loss that only adds further pressure on the pressure ahead of the February 6 trade deadline.
The Warriors suffered an embarrassing 25-point loss on Friday
Golden State entered the second-half down by 11 and were never able to get the necessary defensive stops to mount anything close to a comeback. They gave up 68 second-half points to the visitors, with Devin Booker going for 31 points and former Warrior Kevin Durant adding five threes in Phoenix's 25-point win.
After back-to-back wins over the Utah Jazz and conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder, any momentum the Warriors found was quickly lost with little positives emanating from a loss against a team that was just half a game ahead of them in the Western Conference standings.
Andrew Wiggins was aggressive with 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists, but shot just 6-of-20 from the floor as Golden State considers a move for Zach LaVine or Jimmy Butler that could include the 2022 All-Star.
Stephen Curry was again blanketed in a 14-point, three-rebound, three-assist performance, having shot just 5-of-14 from the floor which included only 1-of-6 from 3-point range. Moses Moody was strong with 17 points and six rebounds on 4-of-7 from beyond the arc in just under 24 minutes, while Brandin Podziemski also went 4-of-7 from deep and finished with 14 points, three rebounds and three assists in less than 22 minutes.
Buddy Hield hit two early threes and had 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting, but it was more so the Warrior defense that failed to deliver despite entering as the eighth best in the league. Phoenix shot 56.2% from the floor and 48.7% from 3-point range, with Bradley Beal's 21 points one of three players in double digits off the bench.
Veteran duo Gary Payton II and Kevon Looney were far less effective than Wednesday's game against the Thunder, once again raising doubts over their future with the franchise ahead of the deadline.
The Warriors are now back to a .500 record at a mediocre 24-24 record on the season, with the Orlando Magic set to visit Chase Center in another important game on Monday night.