Back in the good old days, the Golden State Warriors were one of the most elite teams in the NBA when at home. Oracle Arena was impossible to play in, both because of the team playing there and the environment.
Now across the Bay in San Francisco, the Golden State Warriors do not have the same environment at the Chase Center. Golden State is 11-11 at home this season, and the Warriors are sliding quickly following a horrific loss to the New Orleans Pelicans at home on Wednesday night.
The Warriors lost by 36 points, which has rarely happened to the Dubs in the last 40 years. With Chris Paul out with a fractured wrist and Draymond Green only recently being removed from the commissioners suspended list, the Warriors are not in a good place.
Against the Pelicans, the Warriors played horribly on defense. Golden State allowed 46 points in the first quarter, including 9 three-point makes by New Orleans in the first quarter. Zion Williamson played point forward in the first half, distributing and feeding Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum.
Following a terrible first half, Steve Kerr tried to adjust the Warriors rotation. Kerr slid Moses Moody into the rotation along with Curry, and it worked momentarily. Unfortunately the Warriors couldn't get within 10 points of New Orleans and the game ran away from them quickly.
Every single Warriors player was negative in their plus/minus, and Golden State simply looked outmatched at home. Without Green and Paul, Curry and Klay Thompson have had to create their own shots. Against a young, athletic team like the Pelicans, the Warriors were completely unable to create any type of dynamic movements on offense.
Golden State has lost two straight games at home, and the Warriors have dropped six of their last eight. While the Warriors are only 1.5 games out of a play-in spot currently, they are nine games from the Western Conference lead and simply do not look like contenders whatsoever.
With no timetable for Green's return and a 4-6 week wait on Chris Paul, it is now or never for the Warriors to figure out playmaking and defense before the 2023-24 season washes out of reach for the former dynasty.
Golden State travels to Chicago on Friday to play the Bulls. Steph Curry and the Warriors will look to turn their season around against the struggling 18-21 Chicago unit that has also lacked any identity on either side of the ball this season.
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