Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr pointed to defensive breakdowns and foul trouble after his team lost 119-116 to the Utah Jazz on Monday night at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
Utah converted 27 of 29 free throws, a margin Kerr said defined the outcome in a game that featured 19 lead changes.
“I just never felt like we got control of them defensively,” Kerr said after the game.
The veteran coach highlighted how the Jazz consistently reached the foul line and created scoring opportunities without needing to rely solely on perimeter shooting.
“They scored 119 on us. 29 free throws. That can’t be the case,” Kerr said. “We talked about it before the game, taking away the easy stuff.”
Kerr emphasized that Utah’s efficiency at the line changed the scoring balance throughout the game.
“They made 27 points from the line. So, too much fouling,” he said. “Too many plays where we were at a disadvantage.”
Golden State lost the free-throw battle by 13 points, a statistic Kerr directly tied to the final margin.
“They outscore us by 13 points at the free throw line. That’s the difference in the game,” he said.
Despite the loss, Kerr said the Warriors’ offense functioned well enough to win.
“I mean, we weren’t bad offensively,” Kerr said. “31 assists, 10 turnovers. That’s a great ratio.”
Ball movement remained effective for Golden State, even without Stephen Curry and several rotation players.
“So we took care of the ball, we moved it,” Kerr said. “I didn’t think we got great looks, but we got enough good looks to win.”
Kerr reiterated that the defensive end ultimately decided the outcome.
“It was our defense that let us down,” he said.
The game also marked the return of Seth Curry, who appeared for the first time after missing 40 games with back issues.
Curry scored 13 points in just 12 minutes off the bench, providing instant scoring during his limited run.
“Seth was great,” Kerr said. “It’s really fun to have him out there.”
The Warriors coach praised Curry’s shooting ability and offensive gravity.
“He can light it up in a hurry and great scoring threat, one of the best shooters in the league,” Kerr said. “So it was really nice to have him back.”
Kerr did not confirm whether Curry will play in Golden State’s next game, which comes quickly with a road back-to-back.
“I don’t know,” Kerr said when asked about Curry’s availability against Chicago.
Golden State also managed the workload of guard De’Anthony Melton, who led the team with 22 points.
“Yeah, because he’s going to play tomorrow,” Kerr said about Melton’s minutes. “We’re playing Melt for the first time on back-to-back and so we wanted to limit his minutes to 20 tonight.”
The Warriors dropped to 32-32 with the loss and sit ninth in the Western Conference standings, placing them in the middle of the NBA Play-In race.
Kerr said the focus now shifts quickly to the next matchup.
“It’s a quick turnaround with Chicago tomorrow night and we got to bounce back,” Kerr said. “This is the NBA. You always have to be ready for the next one.”
