The Golden State Warriors fell below .500 for the first time this season after building a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter and losing 104-101 in Toronto on Monday night.
Golden State (19-20) is 7-17 since winning 12 of its first 15 games.
“It sucks,” coach Steve Kerr said. “I don’t like to get below .500, but here we are, so we have to do better.”
The Warriors led 86-77 after a 3-pointer by Lindy Waters III with 9:27 left, their largest lead of the night, but Toronto outscored Golden State 27-15 the rest of the way.
“This is as frustrating a loss as we’ve had all season,” Kerr said. “This game was right there for us to win and we just let them get back into it.”
It is the latest blow in a challenging period that has already seen Kerr question his team’s “competitive spirit” following recent home defeats to Sacramento and Miami.
Golden State’s Andrew Wiggins shared his coach’s disappointment after losing to a Raptors team that had lost 16 of 17.
“It’s definitely hard,” Wiggins said. “I felt like we came in feeling good and confident.”
Stephen Curry scored 26 points, giving him 24,371 for his career and passing Hall of Fame guard Allen Iverson (24,368) for 28th on the NBA’s all-time list. Despite the milestone, Curry wasn’t exactly in a celebratory mood.
“This one sure stings,” he said, “and we really needed it.”
For the 24th time this season, the Warriors played a game in which the score was within five points in the final five minutes. Only Minnesota (25) has played more.
“I have to do a better job,” Kerr said. “We’re not disciplined enough to win these close games, and every game is going to be close at this point. We have to win on the margins. We don’t win on the margins, and that’s coaching.”
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