Tonight wasn’t supposed to go the way it did for the Golden State Warriors, losing 120-110 to a Milwaukee Bucks team missing Giannis Antetokounmpo. What unfolded tonight at Fiserv Forum appeared to be a team running on fumes. The Golden State Warriors lacked energy from the jump; their trademark ball movement was stuck in slow motion, and their defense was a step behind. By the time the final buzzer sounded, the fear fans had in their mind was laid bare: their team looked tired.

“It looked to me like fatigue, mental, physical fatigue,” Golden State head coach Steve Kerr admitted in the postgame conference. “It did not look like our team out there, where our spacing was bad. It just didn’t feel like we had our usual pop.” The coach didn’t sugarcoat it.

Despite Milwaukee missing their superstar, they out-executed the veteran squad, with Kerr admitting, “I thought Milwaukee was brilliant. I mean, they made 19 threes. They made one tough one after another down the stretch. But we let them hang around for too long, and that was the problem.”

He went on to explain the Bucks‘ mindset, saying, “Anytime a team plays without its star, you know, a team is gonna, be out there with nothing to lose, firing shots, a lot of guys getting extra minutes, feeling good, and I thought they did a fantastic job of creating offensive rhythm and playing without fear and knocking down big shots.” It was both prophetic and painful, with the slow-footed Warriors squad letting the Bucks’ confidence snowball.

He then went on to explain how the Warriors fell apart in the game’s late stages. “We didn’t handle our switching very well,” he said. “Our defense struggled tonight… they were small, so we went to an all-switching coverage and lineup, and we’ll have to watch the tape, but I didn’t feel like we did a great job there.”

The Warriors lost track of shooters and struggled to communicate late in the game, allowing Milwaukee to capitalize quickly.

Ex-Warriors player Ryan Rollins, in particular, exploded, scoring a game and career-high 32 points with 8 assists and 5 threes.

His energy contrasted with the Warriors, serving as a reminder that youth and legs can still dictate outcomes, even in systems designed for experienced players.

Steve Kerr’s Frustration Reflects a Familiar Fear for Tired Golden State Warriors

Head coach Steve Kerr didn’t hold back. He admitted the Warriors had a strange habit. “We’re like 0-2 the last couple years when the stars don’t play,” he said, clearly annoyed.

He quipped that if he were an opposing coach, he’d “just hit the star every time.” Beneath the humor, though, it was clear that the coach was tired of watching his veteran roster get caught off guard.

The frustration came with a touch of realism. “Every NBA team is loaded with talent. You saw those guys out there, you know, firing threes and all. Everybody can play in this league, and when the star sits, everybody gets excited. This game did not surprise me, frankly.”

The Bucks reserves proved this, raining outside shots and playing with the freedom of a team that had nothing to lose.

Kerr also pointed to mental and physical fatigue as significant factors. With six games played in ten days, including heavy travel, the Warriors’ edge was dulled.

“I didn’t think we looked like the team that I just watched the last couple of games—looked a little bit more like the team in Portland. So there’s going to be these games, you know, for everybody. You know, every team in the league is in an 82-game season where everybody’s playing at such a high pace and playing so hard.”

Now, the goal is recovery, both mental and physical. The Warriors are set to play the Indiana Pacers next, and they must reinstate their rhythm fast.

Kerr’s task is set: restore energy, rediscover identity, and prove that age and exhaustion haven’t turned this team into one running out of gas far too soon.