Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr addressed his team’s 120–110 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, highlighting fatigue and defensive issues as key factors. The game took place at Fiserv Forum, where Ryan Rollins scored a career-high 32 points for Milwaukee in the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Kerr said, “It looked to me like fatigue. You know, mental, physical fatigue. It did not look like our team out there. Our spacing was bad. Milwaukee was brilliant…they made 19 threes, one tough one after another down the stretch.”
The Warriors fell behind despite strong performances from Stephen Curry with 27 points, Jonathan Kuminga with 24, and Jimmy Butler with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Kerr noted that Milwaukee’s balanced attack and fearless approach without their star contributed to Golden State’s struggles.
“Anytime a team plays without its star…a lot of guys get extra minutes, feeling good, and I thought they did a fantastic job creating offensive rhythm and knocking down big shots,” Kerr said. He also addressed defensive rotations: “We didn’t handle our switching very well…we went to an all-switching coverage and lineup, and we’ll have to watch the tape.”
Kerr connected the Warriors’ performance to fatigue from a dense early-season schedule. “It’s our sixth game in 10 days to start the year, a lot of travel…every team in the league is playing at such a high pace…there’s going to be games where mental focus isn’t quite there. Tonight was one of those games for us.”
On Al Horford, Kerr remained confident: “It’s always difficult going to a new team…Al’s still moving really well, he’s a fantastic basketball player, and he’s going to help us win a lot of games this year.”
The Warriors drop to 4-2 after the loss, while the Bucks improve to 4-1. Kerr’s remarks emphasize the challenges Golden State faces managing player rotations, defensive coverage, and early-season fatigue.
Golden State travels to face the Indiana Pacers on Saturday, looking to regroup after the setback. Meanwhile, Milwaukee will host the Sacramento Kings in what promises to be another competitive matchup.
