The Warriors were in their national TV comfort zone on Monday, had a rested Stephen Curry, an emotional boost from the return of Draymond Green and faced a Memphis Grizzlies team missing three of its four best players.
The cards were stacked in their favor.
However, the result once again surpassed Golden State's front office, which was already under the strain of staring at an 18-22 record despite having the highest payroll in the NBA.
The Warriors responded to apparently favorable conditions with a 116-107 loss at FedExForum that serves as a microcosm of a season in which misery seems to befall them even in the most unlikely circumstances.
“You have to develop good habits, and right now we have bad habits on this team,” Green told reporters in Memphis. “And it starts with me getting suspended and all that stupid stuff. All of these things are important. We need to develop better habits.”
Although Green played reasonably well, no one could stop the tide that the Warriors were turning against themselves. Too many turnovers, too many fouls, too little offense and defense on the arc – all of their worst tendencies – sabotaged the game, which was still winnable until the last eight minutes.
“We played very poorly defensively, but a lot of that was due to our offense,” coach Steve Kerr said. “Nineteen turnovers resulting in 30 points. Their game plan was pretty simple: Shoot as many threes as possible and get into transition as often as possible. And that we fouled 25 out of 12 times, well, that's the story.
“We just played a really clean game. They took care of the ball. We didn't. We fouled and were reaching. Steph got several early fouls and we're turning the ball left and right and you know they've gained confidence.”
The Grizzlies were without Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Marcus Smart and Steven Adams. Their starting lineup featured a star, Jaren Jackson Jr., and four role players, and they assaulted Golden State's defense with 54 three-pointers, 20 of which went on goal.
Memphis (15-25) hasn't hit 20 triples in any of its last 39 games.
“You just have to be proud of yourself as a man and not let my man score,” Green said. “Our closeouts were too soft. Our rotations were too slow. So it's just not pride.
Unless everyone is proud of themselves and wants to stop the guy in front of them, we’re going to suck.”
If the Warriors' last-place defense had been their only drawback, they still would have had a chance to win a game and set themselves up for a victorious road trip. But their offense all too often looked like raw eggs splattered on the kitchen floor when they weren't throwing long-range stones (10 of 31 from deep).
Curry scored a game-high 26 points but committed a game-high five turnovers. Dario Šarić scored 13 points and seven rebounds, but gave the Grizzlies four turnovers.
“Instead of being solid, taking care of the ball and executing, we got sloppy,” Kerr said. “We had a three-on-two transition in the second quarter that turned into a three-pointer the other way.
“We need to understand where we are as a team, what our record is and where we are in the Western Conference. This means we have to be sharp. We have to play a smart, clean game. We can't turn it around. We can't reach, we can't foul. We did all of these things.”
The Warriors are firmly in 12th place in the Western Conference. They are No. 25 in defensive rating, No. 24 in free throws allowed, No. 23 in turnover percentage, No. 13 in offensive rating and No. 1 in salary costs.
With the Warriors finishing their trip Wednesday at Utah in a game that marks the exact halfway point of the season, they are underdogs in the 10-team playoff derby. They have lost eight of their last 11 games, so any glimmer of hope is too faint to see.
General manager Mike Dunleavy doesn't want to watch this slowdown, and CEO Joe Lacob certainly isn't willing to sit quietly and watch this slow-motion downturn slide into the far reaches of the league.
Time is of the essence and the phones are busy, as they should be.
“Time is always of the essence in this league,” Green said. “You don't have the option to waste time, but rather to let time be wasted. Because in this league you are faced with too many unforeseen things to let time pass.”
This was another game where Golden State's many deficiencies were on full display. It is visible against good and bad opponents. This is a Warriors problem, and it turns out it won't fix itself. Not with this squad.
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