Another road game, another loss for the Golden State Warriors, who came up short against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night, 127-119, despite Steph Curry putting up 31 points and six different players scoring in double figures.
This defeat was the fifth in the last seven games for the slumping Warriors, and their 10th in a row on the road. The Warriors haven't won away from Chase Center since way back on Jan. 20, when they took down the Cleveland Cavaliers in a game they actually played without the majority of their starting lineup. For the season, the Warriors are now 7-28 on the road; the only teams with worse road records are the Houston Rockets (6-28) and San Antonio Spurs (6-27), who have both already been eliminated from playoff contention.
There are a number of reasons why the Warriors have struggled on their travels this season, including injuries and stark opponent 3-point shooting variation. The Warriors have the best 3-point defense at home (32.4 percent) and the 29th 3-point defense on the road (40.8 percent).
However, perhaps the most fascinating stat that highlights the Warriors' ineptitude is that after their loss to the Hawks they are now 0-22 on the road when trailing after three quarters.
| Date | Opponent | Deficit entering fourth | Final margin of defeat |
|---|---|---|---|
Oct. 25 | 19 points | 29 points | |
Oct. 30 | 9 points | 14 points | |
Nov. 4 | 9 points | 9 points | |
Nov. 13 | 7 points | 7 points | |
Nov. 16 | Phoenix Suns | 14 points | 11 points |
Nov. 21 | New Orleans Pelicans | 32 points | 45 points |
Nov. 29 | 5 points | 3 points | |
Dec. 7 | 9 points | 1 point | |
Dec. 13 | 18 points | 17 points | |
Dec. 14 | 6 points | 6 points | |
Dec. 16 | 7 points | 8 points | |
Dec. 20 | 19 points | 38 points | |
Dec. 21 | 30 points | 30 points | |
Jan. 15 | 6 points | 14 points | |
Feb. 2 | 14 points | 17 points | |
Feb. 14 | 12 points | 10 points | |
Feb. 23 | 15 points | 13 points | |
March 5 | Los Angeles Lakers | 6 points | 8 points |
March 7 | 6 points | 9 points | |
March 9 | 6 points | 21 points | |
March 15 | Los Angeles Clippers | 6 points | 8 points |
March 17 | Atlanta Hawks | 8 points | 8 points |
Even more interesting -- or disappointing from the Warriors' perspective -- is that when they have been trailing entering the fourth, they've rarely made a significant comeback. They've won the fourth quarter on six of those 22 occasions, and only once did they do so by more than three points -- the Dec. 7 loss to the Jazz.
Despite yet another road loss, which dropped their overall record to 36-35 and leaves them just half a game ahead of the Dallas Mavericks in the race for the No. 6 seed, head coach Steve Kerr remains confident in his group.
"Love the effort, love the energy. These guys are fighting," Kerr said. "I believe in them, I believe smething good's gonna happen with this group. We just gotta keep fighting and keep moving forward."
