Warriors drubbed in worst home loss of Kerr era

SAN FRANCISCO — As Stephen Curry exited the game for good near the end of the third quarter, with the Boston Celtics up by 32 on their way to a 40-point blowout victory over the Warriors, he probably hadn’t felt further away from Golden State’s 2022 NBA championship than he did on Monday.

After suffering the worst home defeat of the Steve Kerr era with a 125-85 loss at Chase Center, Curry noted how the Celtics are everything the Warriors are not at the moment.

Curry talked about how Boston has the same core from its 2022 NBA Finals team with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown but have even more confidence after winning the Finals last season.

“Yeah, we have an entirely different roster pretty much, obviously,” Curry said of the Warriors as compared to their 2021-22 squad. “Especially without Draymond [Green] out there. But you look [at what] they have, besides [Kristaps] Porzingis, they have pretty much the whole rotation still, and they are the defending champs.

“So, they’re coming in with a level of confidence and swagger about ’em, and it’s the exact opposite of what we have right now. So yeah, obviously great memories, but definitely feels like a long time ago.”

The Warriors hold out hope that they can turn this season around, get into the playoffs and surprise everyone like they did in 2022, when they beat Boston 4-2 in the Finals.

But they are 21-21 and hobbled by injuries to crucial players. Green did not play Monday, and he will be out at least a week with a mild calf strain. Jonathan Kuminga injured his right ankle on Jan. 4 and was ruled out for at least three weeks, though he likely will need longer to return. Brandin Podziemski has been out with an abdomen injury, and Kyle Anderson did not play due to a glute injury.

Since starting the season off 12-3, the Warriors have gone 9-18. They are currently in a nine-game stretch in which eight are at Chase Center.

Curry was asked if the Warriors can use this stretch to stay afloat with the injuries to Green and Kuminga.

“It’s incredibly significant for our season,” Curry said. “You’d hope to be a better home team than you are on the road. … We’ll see how we respond to it and if we can take advantage of this stretch. Tonight was not great; Captain Obvious statement.

“But just the idea that we can keep ourselves afloat until we get some guys back can kind of make or break our season to be honest, to keep it real. … Nobody’s counting game-by-game type thing, but a six- to eight-game stretch can kind of define where we are going forward the rest of the season.”

The Celtics (30-13) hit 20 3-pointers on Monday, with Tatum leading the way with 22 points.

Curry, with his 18 points, was just one of two Warriors to score in double figures.

Kerr is hopeful that Podziemski and Anderson will be able to return later in the week. The Warriors will play at the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday before facing the Chicago Bulls at home on Thursday. The Los Angeles Lakers will visit Golden State on Saturday.

The Warriors will need to put up much more than the 85 points they scored against Boston. It was the lowest output in a home game in which Curry has played under Kerr. The 40-point margin also represented the worst home defeat for Golden State since a 45-point loss to the Dallas Mavericks in 1985.

“Seems like an eternity ago,” Warriors center Kevon Looney said when asked how long ago the 2022 NBA championship feels like. “We have had a lot of iterations of the team since then. Each season brings on a new challenge. That year seems further and further away. But hopefully, we can get back to that feeling of being a champion. But we got a long way to go.”