The Warriors left Phoenix at 0-3. It’s their first streak of three losses to begin a season since 2007-08, meaning this is the first time they have been 0-3 in Stephen Curry’s entire career. The milestone sounds alarming. The three games are more mixed than that, and the real warning sign is something other than the record.
Golden State Lost With Curry Too
The worrying view starts with the two games the regulars actually played. Golden State lost the opener 127-105 to the Los Angeles Lakers, then lost to Memphis 111-108 at home. The near-full roster is 0-2, and one of those losses was by 22.
The frontcourt also looks thin. Against Phoenix, Golden State started Gui Santos and Graham Ike alongside three guards and wings, because the players it planned to put next to them were unavailable.
None of this comes from a contender that is merely off to a slow start. Last season ended at 37-45 and 10th in the West, and this year’s group is the oldest team in the NBA.
The Record Itself Is Thin Evidence
Look at the losses one at a time and the case weakens. A three-point home loss tells you very little. Phoenix was a scheduled sacrifice: the Warriors were playing for the third time in four days and rested Stephen Curry (right knee), Brandin Podziemski (low back), Draymond Green (low back) and Al Horford (low back).
That depleted lineup still made Phoenix work for it. Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg led the team with a career-high 26 points, while De’Anthony Melton contributed 25 and Brandon Williams added 20. Golden State won the boards 44-42 that night and shot 17 of 39 from three. Phoenix won because Devin Booker scored 43.
The missing players also mean the roster that was built hasn’t played yet. Jimmy Butler isn’t expected to return from a torn right ACL until January or February, Moses Moody is out until December or January, and Porziņģis has been out indefinitely with recurring POTS symptoms.
Shorthanded Is the Plan, Not the Accident
The 0-3 start is not a crisis. Only one of the three losses was decisive, and one was played on purpose with the backups. A team that loses by three and by nine under these conditions hasn’t shown it is bad. It has shown it is shorthanded.
That is where the real concern lies, and it is bigger than three games. Being shorthanded is not a fluke this season. It is built into the plan. An aging core that sits four regulars on the second night of a back-to-back is going to give away games all season.
Butler and Porziņģis account for most of the roster’s top-end talent, and neither is available. Neither is coming back this month, or next.
The schedule starts testing it immediately. The regulars are back Monday in Denver, where Curry, Podziemski, Green and Horford are all off the injury report. The thing to watch is not whether that group wins a game. It is how many nights this season it is on the floor together at all.
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