Warriors beat:
Starting a four-game homestand after three rough outings, coach Steve Kerr says mental exhaustion can no longer be an excuse.
After each of three underwhelming performances last week, the Warriors had little trouble identifying the root of their problems. A group trying to play deep into June for the fourth consecutive year was laboring through the doldrums of the NBA calendar.
With a four-game homestand set to begin Tuesday, head coach Steve Kerr made one thing certain to his players at practice Monday: Mental exhaustion no longer can be an excuse.
“We’re going to be in our own beds the next week, and we have great teams coming in,” Kerr said. “We should feel like this is a week we can take advantage of and be alert going into the break.”
During Monday’s practice, Golden State reviewed defensive concepts and fundamentals in hopes of remedying bad habits that surfaced last week.
The Warriors allowed an offensively challenged Jazz club to shoot 58.2 percent from the field, including 14-for-28 from three-point range, in a 129-99 loss last Tuesday in Salt Lake City. During its 119-104 win three nights later in Sacramento, Golden State committed 25 turnovers.
After that ugly victory, Kerr conceded that his team was “mentally fried” and “dying to get to the All-Star break” in two weeks. The Warriors then faded late in Saturday’s 115-108 loss in Denver.
It all was cause for concern for a team that largely has breezed through its regularseason schedule. With the playoffs two months away, Golden State wants to make sure it isn’t building a pattern of mistakes that could hurt it when the games count the most.
“I’d like to see us come back after the All-Star break to really turn it up,” Kerr said. “But for now, we’ll talk about the issues and not grind them to death. I’ll keep them mindful on what we’re trying to accomplish and take advantage of these next four games at home, and try to get back on track a little bit.”
Of the four teams the Warriors host in the next week, two — Oklahoma City on Tuesday and San Antonio on Saturday — are jostling for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Golden State plays at Portland on Feb. 14. At 29-25, the Blazers are on track for the postseason.
Two years ago, after an upand-down first three rounds of the playoffs, the Warriors squandered a 3-1 series lead to fall to Cleveland in the NBA Finals. These days, Stephen Curry sees that loss as a warning of what could happen if Golden State isn’t at its best come June.
“Looking back, we didn’t have the right habits and perspective about how we’re playing versus winning games down the stretch,” Curry said. “That’s the only reminder I need.” Looney’s procedure: Warriors forward Kevon Looney underwent an emergency dental procedure Sunday after getting part of one of his front teeth knocked out during Saturday night’s loss in Denver.
“The dentist did a great job,” Kerr said. “He looks as handsome as ever.”
Late in the third quarter, after being elbowed in the face on a rebound attempt by Denver guard Torrey Craig, Looney grabbed his mouth and walked to the bench before returning to the free-throw line. It was only after he missed both foul shots that referee Ed Malloy helped him find a large chunk of one of his front teeth on the floor.
Looney had that piece reattached Sunday and started to undergo a root canal. Severe swelling led the dentist to cut the procedure short. Looney expects to have it completed in a couple weeks.
Looney turns 22 on Tuesday. “I didn’t want to go into my birthday without a tooth,” he said. Connor Letourneau is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.