Golden State Warriors continue to find ways to beat themselves.
Updated: 2 days ago

Credit: Getty Images
Leading by as many as 23 points late in the third quarter, the Warriors appeared that they would cruise to an easy victory. With the host of Chase Center playing haphazardly in the fourth quarter, the Dallas Mavericks trimmed the lead to just five, 116-111, with 1:28 remaining in the contest.
Golden State Warriors again exhibited a cacophony of issues in closing out the Dallas Mavericks 119-113 on Saturday Night.
The Warriors' struggles dotting the "i"s at the end of a contest always begin with, to use Steve Kerr's term, "mindless turnovers," leading to empty possessions. This carelessness leads to fast-break points with the Dubs taking the ball out of the net. This limits their options to slow-walking the ball up the floor and reducing their offense to half-court sets.
Reduced to creating their shots, the defending champions shot selection and ball security become a factor, leading to more opponents' fast-break points or wide-open uncontested shots, and quickly disappearing leads.

Credit: Getty Images
Jordan Poole's propensity to dribble into trouble resulting in an empty possession has become a glaring issue, but even Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Andrew Wiggins have made costly mistakes in the critical minutes of the fourth quarter. High-risk, low-reward decisions have played an equal role in the Warriors' unnecessary losing efforts.
Team discipline and limiting untimely turnovers, while keeping the ball in motion are the beginning of the solution to the problem. Until Kerr's championship core rediscovers the path to the character of their past success, the issues that plague this roster will continue.
Kerr and his staff will pursue their contribution to producing a playoff-ready lineup while searching for the right combinations to achieve their goal. The head coach of the Golden State Warriors will use the remainder of the season in his quest for a top four seat for the struggling Dubs, while preserving the health of his proven championship core.