NBA
Kerr takes positives out of defeat as shorthanded Warriors lose to Raptors
A youthful Golden State Warriors team was beaten 119-100 by the Toronto Raptors on Saturday, but head coach Steve Kerr says it will be a useful learning experience.
Golden State head coach Steve Kerr said his players will learn from their 119-100 defeat to the Toronto Raptors as a young Warriors team lost in Canada on Saturday.
Curry among host of Golden State regulars missing in Toronto
The shorthanded Warriors rested star guard Stephen Curry and were also missing Draymond Green (hip), Andre Iguodala (knee), Otto Porter Jr. (foot) and Andrew Wiggins (knee).
"Lots of tape for our young guys to watch"
Fred VanVleet starred with 27 points as the Raptors dominated a young Warriors side at Scotiabank Arena, but speaking to the media after the game, Kerr was keen to emphasise that it had been a valuable learning experience for his team.
"Plenty to learn," he said. "Lots of tape for our young guys to watch. Some things they did well, a lot that we could have done better, but every game is valuable, every minute played is valuable for young players.
"First half we were on our heels, didn't have a lot of juice and confidence, but Toronto played well and they had a lot to do with that."
Kerr praises "powerful, explosive" Kuminga
One positive for the Warriors was the performance of Jonathan Kuminga, with the 19-year-old scoring 26 points, hitting nine of 15 field goals and four of six three-pointers.
"J.K's a dynamic athlete. He's powerful, explosive, he can get downhill, so you see the potential. It was great to see him knock down some three-point shots. That's going to be a big part of his development.
"He's got to get more than one rebound in 36 minutes, especially with that kind of athletic ability and frame, and he had six turnovers so he showed how talented he is, how young he is, how high his ceiling is and how far he has to go all in one night, but that's the whole point of getting him reps and it was fun to see him out there."
Home Knicks clash up next for Warriors after five straight road games
This was the Warriors' fifth away game in a row having beaten the Pacers, the Knicks and the Celtics in between defeats to the 76ers and the Raptors, and Kerr was pleased with his team's work during their time on the road, with their next outing a home clash with the Sacramento Kings (12-18) on Monday.
"[It was a] big success to go 3-2 on a tough trip, with two back-to-backs. Obviously [we were] very shorthanded tonight. Really proud of the guys and now we've got to get some rest and bounce back pretty quickly with a game on Monday night."
The Warriors' sixth defeat of the season leaves them second in the Western Conference with a 24-6 record.