Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr pointed to fatigue, lineup continuity, and Toronto’s historic shooting night after his team fell 145-127 to the Raptors on Tuesday at Chase Center.
Kerr explained his decision to stick with the second unit late, even while trailing by 14 entering the fourth quarter. “Third game in four nights, so for Dre and and Steph especially I wasn’t going to chase this game and add up the minutes for them. And with that second unit playing so well it absolutely made sense just to to stay with them,” Kerr said.
Jonathan Kuminga’s return to the rotation stood out after 17 games on the bench, and Kerr praised his impact. “Yeah, he came in and um had great energy, attacked the rim, made some shots,” Kerr said.
The coach highlighted Kuminga’s readiness despite limited recent opportunities. “I thought JK was really good… really pleased with the way he stayed ready and stayed prepared and you know got his opportunity and played really well,” Kerr said.
Kerr acknowledged uncertainty about Kuminga’s conditioning. “It’s been a month or so since he’s played and we haven’t had any practices… it’s hard to have any idea how someone’s going to play,” he said.
After a third-quarter three-pointer, Kerr pulled Kuminga aside to discuss minutes. “I was really asking about conditioning and whether he wanted to play the last couple of minutes,” Kerr said.
He explained the decision to sit him late. “Twenty-one minutes is a lot when you haven’t played in a while… and he had a good night and it just felt like the right time to take him out,” Kerr said.
Buddy Hield’s shooting stretch also earned strong praise. “Buddy, the last four games has just been lighting it up and um just one of the most professional players I’ve ever coached,” Kerr said.
Kerr detailed Hield’s approach behind the scenes. “He’s the first guy here… getting in his work in the training room the weight room and kept himself in great shape,” he said.
Assessing the game overall, Kerr pointed to Toronto’s shooting. “Toronto was amazing tonight… 21 for 34 from three. They couldn’t miss,” Kerr said.
He added perspective on the loss. “We were probably due for one like this where our opponent made them all,” Kerr said.
Kerr also addressed lineup experimentation after Jimmy Butler’s injury. “When you have an injury to one of your best players… it just changes everything,” he said.
On whether Kuminga could start, Kerr left the door open. “Everything’s a possibility right now… we will definitely experiment with some different lineups,” he said.
Golden State finished its homestand 6-2 and now turns to the road. “We move on… now we got to go out on the road and and win some games,” Kerr said.
