The Golden State Warriors sustained a brutal 124-115 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night, with the team's defensive intensity seemingly non-existent from the opening tip which contributed heavily to the negative outcome of the night.
As the Warriors sit in the sixth-seed in the Western Conference and chase a bona-fide playoff berth, such a loss allowed the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Clippers to gain a step in the race.
While this loss was a highly significant defeat, it is more than just an occasional mishap for a team that has been one of the NBA's hottest over recent weeks. It is a sign of a concerning trend that could hinder Golden State's ability to advance in the standings through the final stretch of the regular season.
Warriors need to play more intensely against inferior opponents
Since their acquisition of Jimmy Butler, the Warriors have been the best team in the NBA. They've gone 16-4 in their last 20 games, dominating many of their opponents to rise up the standings and even start garnering championship discussion.
However, during this span, Golden State's losses have come to the Dallas Mavericks, Philadelphia 76ers, a depleted Denver Nuggets without Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, and now the Hawks.
While Steph Curry's pelvic contusion suffered against the Toronto Raptors hurts the team as a whole offensively, the team is usually able to depend on its defense when needed. Golden State has a 109 defensive rating on the season -- the third-best mark in the NBA.
This is intuitively not a defense that should be allowing 69 first-half points to the league's 20th best offense, with the Hawks eventually shooting in excess of 57% from the field and 42% from 3-point range for the game.
The Warriors have, in a sense, played down to their competition as of late. Against both the Brooklyn Nets and the Orlando Magic, they allowed the opposing team to get a hot start and needed to mount a sizeable comeback in order to come away with the win. Against the short-handed Nuggets, Golden State allowed Russell Westbrook and Aaron Gordon to walk all over them offensively, leading to a brutal 114-105 loss.
At the same time, the Warriors have also showcased why they have one of the league's best defenses when clicking. They strangled Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks on a night where Curry was resting, and have twice done similar to a New York Knicks team that holds a top five offense.
With veterans such as Butler and Draymond Green, Golden State certainly does not have a leadership problem, but it is possible that their younger players have not yet mastered the grueling course of an NBA schedule and are not bringing the requisite intensity to every game they play.
As the season winds down, this will be come all the more important. In their last 11 games, the Warriors play seven teams that are not currently in playoff position, including the bottom-feeder San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans.
With the Timberwolves and Clippers riding their tail for the sixth-seed, Golden State will need to win every game they can and will need to ensure they are bringing their best defense every night.