The Golden State Warriors' championship defense has gotten off to a disappointing start in the 2022-23 NBA season. The team finds itself out of the playoff picture through 15 games, even though Stephen Curry continues to be one of the league's best players.

The Warriors fell to 6-9 and the No. 12 seed in the Western Conference standings with Wednesday's 130-119 loss against the Phoenix Suns. Curry scored 50 points on 17-of-28 shooting, and it still wasn't enough to keep the Warriors from falling to 0-8 on the road.

Golden State is a game behind the Minnesota Timberwolves for the final spot in the play-in tournament. The No. 6 seed Memphis Grizzlies are three games ahead of the Warriors for the first automatic playoff berth.

"It's a pick-up game out there," Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters after the loss in Phoenix. "There's no execution at either end, no certain commitment to the group to get three stops in a row to execute on offense."

Maybe if Curry was off to a slow start, Golden State's struggles could be more understandable. Instead, the two-time MVP is playing like he could be in contention to win the award for a third time.

Curry's 32.8 points per game are good for second in the league. At 34 years old, he's shooting a career-high 53.1% from the field and 44.7% from 3-point range. Curry is also averaging 6.8 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game. With just 2.6 turnovers per game, Curry has his lowest average in a decade.

Much has been made about Klay Thompson's struggles in his first full season since the 2018-19 campaign. Thompson is fourth on the team with 15.1 points per game, and he's doing so as a 35.1% field-goal shooter.

Golden State ranks 10th in offensive efficiency and 27th in defensive efficiency. The Warriors had the No. 2 defense on the way to winning last season's championship.

The Warriors faced serious questions about their team chemistry shortly before the regular season began. Draymond Green was disciplined by the team after he punched Jordan Poole in practice.

Green is the most important part of Golden State's defense, which is giving up 7.5 more points per 100 possessions than last season. Poole's scoring and shooting averages are down from last year's breakout campaign.

The Warriors host the New York Knicks on Friday in their next game.

Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Lonnie Walker IV
Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors drives toward the basket as Lonnie Walker IV #4 and Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers defend during the 1st half of the game at Chase Center on October 18, 2022 in San Francisco, California. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images