Warriors' elite defense has one clear weakness that could be costly in playoffs

Amid disappointment Wednesday night after an untimely loss to the San Antonio Spurs sans Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr offered his diagnosis. "It felt like they broke us down off the dribble in that fourth quarter quite a bit." Problems persist at the point of attack.

Though the Warriors sport the NBA's third-rated defense (109.3 points per 100 possessions) since star wing Jimmy Butler's team debut on Feb. 8, they've been vulnerable against speedy scoring guards or power wings who orchestrate offense.



Without their star guard or franchise center, the Spurs had little problem puncturing the paint. In the fourth quarter against the shorthanded Spurs – as 17.5-point favorites no less – the Warriors surrendered 38 points on 72.

2% shooting, including a buzzer-beating triple from the wing from former Golden State forward Harrison Barnes. The Warriors' Draymond Green cited a "lack of grit" postgame Wednesday, underscoring their lack of defensive resistance. At seventh place in the Western Conference entering Thursday – and positioned in the four-team play-in tournament – they play their penultimate game Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers with seeding implications at stake.

Said Warriors guard Stephen Curry: "I don't know how to impact the ending where we end up after Sunday. But we still do have two games. We got to win both of them.

We'll see what happens. We just made it a little harder on ourselves." Golden State's third-rated defense with Butler – compared to 10th (112.

2) in 51 games without him – is powered by cohesiveness sparked by Green as one of the NBA's best defensive anchors, operating mostly as a small-ball center. While guarding bigs and switching onto the perimeter, Green and Butler as standout help defenders can muddy off-ball actions and movements while monitoring on-ball activity around guards and wings. When the Warriors are in sync, drives are denied or funneled into help defenders for kickouts and closeouts.

Since Butler's team debut, they're first in per-game averages for deflections (19.9), steals (10.6) and loose balls recovered (6.

1) as well as opposing turnover percentage (17.7%). A 22-7 record – against mostly outmatched opposition or teams down a standout contributor or two – was underscored last week with wins over the Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets.

Problems emerge against explosive guards or bigger forwards who handle the ball. In Warriors wins and losses alike – against playoff-bound foes or draft lottery entrants – speedy or forceful scorers and orchestrators have access to the paint with dribble penetration that draws help and recovery precise passing can beat. Among those who've torched Golden State during its surge from midseason stagnancy to postseason play: — Chicago Bulls guard Coby White scored 27 points on 7-for-12 shooting.

— Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard had 38 points, five rebounds and seven assists, shooting 12-for-20. — Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving scored 42 points on 15-for-25 shooting. — Sacramento Kings guard DeMar DeRozan had 34 points, four rebounds and six assists, shooting 10-for-14.

— Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero had 41 points, six rebounds and five assists while shooting 16-for-27. — Philadelphia 76ers wing Quentin Grimes scored 44 on 18-for-24 shooting. — New York Knicks wing OG Anunoby 29 points on 11-for-19 shooting in one matchup and 23 points on 7-for-15 shooting with nine rebounds in another.

— Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham scored 31 on 10-for-17 shooting. — Portland Trail Blazers wing Deni Avdija had 34 points and 16 rebounds, shooting 11-for-15 as teammate Anfernee Simons shot 12-for-21 en route to 32 points. — Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook had 12 points and 16 assists.

— Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes had 29 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, shooting 11-for-16. — Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young had 25 points and 10 assists while making 9 of 15 field-goal attempts. — Grizzlies guard Ja Morant posted 36 points on 14-for-22 shooting.

— Lakers forward LeBron James had 33 points, five rebounds and nine assists, shooting 10-for-15, and teammate Austin Reavesscored 31 on 10-for-20 shooting. (Moody, working as primary defender, helped hold Luka Doncic to 6-for-17 shooting for 19 points and seven assists.) — Spurs guard Stephon Castle supplied 21 points on 8-for-15 shooting.

Of course, NBA stars aren't often altogether stopped as shot-making supersedes top-tier defense. But on-ball disruption is crucial in the playoffs, in which halfcourt execution often seizes center stage. That's when favorable matchups are targeted with schemes deployed and refined throughout a series.

After Grimes sent the Warriors to defeat March 1 in Philadelphia, Kerr acknowledged point-of-attack defense "can be an issue. ..

. but overall our defense has been really good ..

. and I'm very confident in our defense and our ability to do different things defensively." Perhaps Friday and beyond.

.