Warriors News: Steve Kerr Slams 'Pathetic' Performance Following Heavy Loss To Pacers

The Golden State Warriors put in an "embarrassing" and "pathetic" performance in their heavy loss to the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night, according to head coach Steve Kerr.

The reigning NBA champions (57-22) suffered their eighth loss in 14 games after losing 126-106 at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse despite having the likes of Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant at their disposal.

Durant led the visitors with 27 points, five rebounds and seven assists, however, shot 8-for-23 while Thompson finished the game with 16 points. Despite their efforts, the Warriors were never close to the Pacers after the second half, with the Eastern Conference side now boasting six wins in seven games against them this regular season.

Following the game, Kerr was visibly displeased with his side's performance, telling reporters they failed to display a real effort to win, even if any further wins or losses won't affect their No. 2 standing in the Western Conference, with the Houston Rockets clinching top spot last month.

"I think just caring. Caring in general was the main problem," Kerr said when asked if the Warriors' defense was the problem. "Just trying, you know, cutting hard, driving, maybe boxing out once in a while. Just, in general, it's hard to win an NBA game if you don't put forth an effort at all."

"Yeah, I'm mad. I'm embarrassed, I'm embarrassed. I mean I know this game doesn't mean anything in the seeding. The playoffs start next week. It was an embarrassing effort, a pathetic effort."

The Warriors' poor form in the last month has coincided with the absence of star guard Stephen Curry, who has played just once since twisting his right ankle against the San Antonio Spurs on March 9.

The 31-year-old returned just over two weeks after against the Atlanta Hawks but suffered another injury as he was forced off in the third quarter of the game after teammate JaVale McGee landed on him, with an MRI later revealing he suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain.

With the NBA playoffs beginning April 14, everyone associated with the Bay Area side will be hoping Curry returns to action as soon as possible, even if Kerr previously stated there was "no chance" of him returning for the first round.

"Hopefully, I prove what coach said was wrong and put myself in position to get back as soon as possible," Curry said late last month. "But right now, who knows? Just try to do my job in the rehab process and get back as soon as I can. Based on what I've been told, three weeks is a good benchmark to re-evaluate and reassess where I'm at in my progress. Mentally, for me, [I'm just] staying positive and staying upbeat."

Meanwhile, forward Bojan Bogdanovic scored 28 points on 11-of-13 shooting, including 6-for-7 on 3-pointers while Victor Oladipo scored 21 points of his own for the Pacers, who are currently 5th in the Eastern Conference.

"We're the underdog in every matchup," Oladipo said. "We've just got to continue to keep getting better. We still have room to get better, especially going into the playoffs."