Steve Kerr Says Warriors' Season-Opening Loss 'Is Not a One-Off'

The Warriors opened the 2019-20 regular season on Thursday night at the new Chase Center but struggled in their 141–122 loss to the Clippers.

After the game, coach Steve Kerr admitted to reporters that Thursday night's woes are likely to be repeated this season.

"This is not a one-off, this is the reality," he said, per ESPN. "There's going to be nights like this this year. You've got to play through it, you've got to keep fighting and keep getting better. That's the plan."

Golden State's roster this year features nine players 23 years old or younger and is missing key guys like Kevin Durant, Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguodala. This summer, Durant signed with the Nets as a free agent and Livingston retired from the NBA. Iguodala is currently inactive for the Grizzlies. Klay Thompson is still with Golden State but will miss a majority of the season, or potentially all of it, while recovering from a torn ACL.

"It doesn't feel very good," Kerr added. "Losing stinks. It's no fun. This is more the reality of the NBA. ... The last five years we've been living in a world that isn't supposed to exist. Five years of, if I remember, the best record anybody's ever had over five years. So this is reality, nine guys 23 or younger, and we're starting over in many respects."

According to ESPN Stats & Info, the Clippers' 141 points are the most Golden State have allowed under Kerr.

The Warriors struggled defensively to stop Los Angeles, who shot 62.5% from the field. Golden State also dealt with injuries throughout the night. Forward Draymond Green left after two minutes when he collided with the Clippers' Patrick Beverley and later returned in the second quarter with an elbow contusion. Center Kevin Looney only played for 10 minutes before hurting his right hamstring, the same one that caused him to miss most of training camp.

"We f------ sucked," said Green. "And we gotta get better. I'm not a coach, so I'm not about to go watch a film and say, 'Oh, well we can build on this.' I really don't give a damn about what we can build on. We sucked tonight, and we gotta get better overall. And that's just what it is."