Warriors instant analysis: Golden State squanders fourth quarter lead against injury-riddled Pacers
INDIANAPOLIS Everything lined up for an easy Warriors supremacy on Saturday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse To call Indianapolis coming off a Finals appearance injury-riddled was an understatement Six Pacers players were ruled out with various ailments before the match among them All-Star Tyrese Haliburton And yet just as the Warriors had done in Thursday s loss in Milwaukee Golden State let a depleted organization from the Midwest hang around and eventually pull off the double-digit fourth quarter comeback in a - upset Quenton Jackson buried a triple with seconds remaining to give the pacers a lead it would not relinquish and then padded it with a fadeaway bank shot We didn t execute on offense we didn t execute on defense we fouled we turned it over Warriors coach Steve Kerr stated We didn t deserve to win Indiana won its first event in six tries despite Jimmy Butler s points and his dunk that tied the championship at with a minute left The Pacers may have been missing half of their roster but the home band still had a core of Pascal Siakam and Aaron Nesmith running the show two of the stars of last year s playoff run They combined for points After falling behind by as much as six in the third a quirky lineup of Gui Santos Al Horford Buddy Hield Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody helped cut the deficit to just one before Jimmy Butler s two free throws gave the Warriors a brief lead That group they really flipped the match for us Kerr reported It s a shame we couldn t close out the event for them Butler scored seven points in the final three minutes of the third quarter off a three free throws a midrange jumper and a reverse layup to help give the Warriors an - lead going into the fourth quarter That advantage stretched to as much as - with six minutes left after a Curry triple But Indiana just would not die Nesmith and Quenton Jackson fueled a - run over the ensuing three minutes Podziemski scored and Steph Curry put in on of shooting with of those points coming in the first half The Warriors - will return to action at Chase Center against the Suns on Tuesday Nothing s easy in the NBA and everybody has got their tough schedules Kerr stated You have to find a way to execute when you re not at your best and we did not do that Related Articles Warriors center Trayce Jackson-Davis in best shape of his life returns to home state Warriors Kerr responds to Michael Jordan s load management criticisms Instant analysis Warriors castoff lights up Golden State in Milwaukee Back in hometown during World Series Warriors Podziemski ponders baseball career that could have been Two-timelines Jonathan Kuminga s ascendant play turns the Warriors punchline into reality Kuminga rules the skies Kuminga jammed four thunderous dunks against Indiana the best being a baseline blow-by off a rocker step to tie the match at in the third but that was just the start of his high-flying highlights The now-entrenched starter repeatedly threw himself into the heart of the Pacers less-than-intimidating interior defense He gave the struggling Warriors offense a much-needed jolt of life in the third quarter and scored points overall TJD s quiet homecoming Warriors big man Trayce Jackson-Davis returned to his home state where the Hoosier was a superstar at Center Grove High and later Indiana University But as has often been the event this season Jackson-Davis detected no playing time in a crowded big-man rotation He did not log a single minute against his hometown Pacers Pacers assistant coach Lloyd Pierce also faced his hometown association Pierce is a Santa Clara alum who was a prep star at Yerba Buena in San Jose He was the Mercury News Central Coast Section Participant of the Year in
