Brandin Podziemski did not sugarcoat the Golden State Warriors’ 118-111 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night at Chase Center. “We’re good in spurts, not good in uh some others,” Podziemski said, adding that it has been “pretty much been the theme since Steph’s been out.”
The Warriors were led by Podziemski and Gui Santos, who scored 25 points apiece, but Golden State again came up short in a game that tightened in the fourth quarter. “Our plan was just makes the other two or other guys out there besides Donovan and James beat us,” Podziemski said, pointing to Cleveland’s late scoring from Max Strus, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
That closing stretch decided the game. “Strus hit a bunch and then Mobley and Allen got some dunks,” Podziemski said, after Cleveland pulled away late behind Donovan Mitchell’s 25 points, James Harden’s 19 and Strus’ go-ahead 3-pointer with 54 seconds left.
Podziemski also praised Santos’ development in a season shaped by injuries. “To see Gui’s development since Jimmy really went down has been impressive,” he said. “Just super consistent person, work ethic.”
He added that the Warriors’ early work habits have shown up behind the scenes. “Every morning game days, it’s usually me, him, and Draymond that are here in the mornings together,” Podziemski said. “Just to see him do that through the course of the year and you know finally get rewarded for it, it’s it doesn’t surprise me.”
When asked about Stephen Curry’s possible return, Podziemski said the impact is obvious. “Him coming back makes everybody’s job easier,” he said. “The gravity he obtains from other teams is like none other in the NBA.”
He expanded on that point by saying Curry’s return should create cleaner looks for everyone else. “I think a lot of us are going to get a lot more cleaner looks compared to what we’re getting just because of that,” Podziemski said.
Podziemski also accepted responsibility for one of Cleveland’s decisive late 3-pointers. “The last one was my fault,” he said. “I just looked at the shot clock and I just saw Gui out there kind of with a lot of space.”
He said the Warriors still need sharper rotations late in games. “We just got to find a better way to rotate to guys that we know we’re not trying to allow just shoot catches shoot threes,” Podziemski said.
Even after the loss, he said Golden State is still focused on the bigger picture. “Of course,” Podziemski said when asked whether the team should have won. “Definitely want to win games is important at this time of the year, but more importantly it’s about building good habits.”
He added that Curry’s return, whether it comes Sunday or later, should not change the approach. “I don’t assume there’s going to be any like period of time where we have to acclimate or adjust,” Podziemski said. “I think it’s just going to happen naturally.”
