"Accept fate and tank": Golden State Warriors fans in disarray as Dubs drop below .500 after loss to struggling Raptors

The Golden State Warriors fell to 19-20 following a 104-101 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Monday. Steph Curry returned from a one-game absence due to knee soreness, but he could not lead the Dubs to a much-needed win. Buddy Hield’s 28-footer with 1.1 seconds remaining did not even hit the rim as the Warriors lost another close decision.

Fans reacted on social media to the Dubs falling below .500 for the first time this season:

“The Warriors are a mess.

“They may need to accept fate and tank the rest of the year.”

One fan said:

“Yeah season over.”

Another fan added:

“Losing to the craptors who are chasing washington for the worst record in the lottery is nasty”

@heat_breeze continued:

“Just go get Zach Lavine it’s better than nothing.”

@JWeb777 commented:

“Steph needs to take a pay cut and come to Denver so Jokic can revive his career too.”

The Golden State Warriors were also on the brink of falling below .500 in late December when they lost to the LA Clippers 102-92. They bounced back with a 109-105 win against the Phoenix Suns less than 24 hours after the loss to LA to improve their record to 16-15.

Friday’s 108-96 loss to the Indiana Pacers, when Curry sat out due to knee soreness, dropped their record to 19-19. A late-game defeat at the hands of the Raptors made them a sub-.500 team.

The Dubs faced the Raptors without Draymond Green (illness), Jonathan Kuminga (ankle), Gary Payton II (calf) and Brandin Podziemski (abdomen). Still, the fans were unforgiving as they lost to a team with the fourth-worst record (9-31) in the NBA.

Golden State Warriors have had trouble beating teams in the clutch

The 3-point loss to the Toronto Raptors was the 24th game the Golden State Warriors played, where the outcome was decided by five points or less. They are 11-13 in those situations, which is eighth in the NBA.

Last season, the Dubs had the same problem. They played 48 clutch games and finished the 2023-24 campaign with a 24-24 mark. Steph Curry and Co. failed to make the playoffs last season.

The Golden State Warriors are again having trouble beating teams in the clutch. Had they won half of their closely-fought games, they would squarely be in the top 5 of the Western Conference. Instead, they might have to fight for a play-in spot again or have another long offseason if they can’t play better in seesaw battles.