Despite an average start to the season, the Golden State Warriors were unbeatable at the Chase Center, but that fortress, too, has been breached. Stephen Curry and Co. lost their first game at home on Friday, 127-123, against a young and rebuilding Trail Blazers team in an NBA Cup game. Despite scoring 38 points on the night, Curry was left disappointed by his team’s poor defense, something that the four-time NBA champion believes was a result of poor tactics.

As Curry walked inside the interview room, he was visibly frustrated after the team’s third straight defeat in the past few days. Speaking on what went wrong during the game, the veteran guard did not hold back, as he felt that even though his team played pretty well offensively, they did not do much on the other end.

“Pretty much perfect basketball in the other end, but it’s still crazy that we were a one-possession game with, whatever it was, a minute and a half with that type of discrepancy,” Curry said.

“It’s like you can play as hard as you want to fly around, but the best offense and the most demoralizing thing for a defense is 20 seconds of good defense and then easy put back or, second, third opportunity. So, we know we’re small out there at times, but we’ve got to play bigger than we are. There were a lot of breakdowns on just box out ’cause they had five out most of the time with a seven-footer in there, and those possessions matter,” the sharpshooter further emphasized.

Indeed, they were smaller against Portland’s starting lineup, which featured the likes of Deni Avdija, Donovan Clingan, and others.

Because of Golden State’s small-ball tactic, which is something Steve Kerr is well-known for around the league, his team was outclassed on the boards. Portland outrebounded the Dubs 52-32 on the night. This helped them create as many shots as they wanted and from wherever they wanted, allowing Deni Avdija to finish the night with 26 points and a career-high 13 assists.

Not just that, his teammate Donovan Clingan also had a career night with 22 points and 10 rebounds, along with both Caleb Love and Toumani Camara adding 26 and 20 points, respectively. Nonetheless, it wasn’t just Stephen Curry who felt terrible after the loss, as Jimmy Butler also shared the sentiment with his Batman.

Jimmy Butler doesn’t believe the Warriors are championship-level just yet

Friday night was one to forget for the Golden State Warriors, as Jimmy Butler wasn’t too pleased with his team’s performance. The veteran forward spoke harshly after the game, giving himself and his teammates a reality check on their championship aspirations. When asked about whether he saw a theme emerging regarding his team’s defense, Butler had a blunt reply.

“We’re just not guarding nobody,” Jimmy said. “That’s from what I can tell. I haven’t been here long, but that’s never been the formula here. Not to win a championship, you’ve got to take each and every matchup personal. Yeah, help’s going to be there, but we’ve got to do way better guarding on that side of the ball.” Well, defense hasn’t been Golden State’s No. 1 problem this season.

However, they were just terrible against the Trail Blazers’ towering starting five. The Portland players outleaped the Warriors, something which could’ve been sorted had everyone taken care of their man, according to Jimmy Butler. Moreover, the Warriors star also highlighted that Avdija was getting easy looks all night.

“It’s everything because you’re not taking anything away. You’re not taking the paint away. You’re not taking away layups, free throws, lobs, threes. So we don’t know where they’re going to get a shot from, but tonight they were getting whatever shot they wanted,” Butler suggested. Draymond Green was the only Golden State player who looked even a little effective on Friday.

However, that wasn’t enough, as the Portland Trail Blazers registered their first road win against Stephen Curry and Co. since 2021, which should ring some bells within the storied franchise and work on their defensive woes.