"Embarrassing for all of us": Steve Kerr delighted with Warriors' renewed effort, contrasts it with homestand

The Golden State Warriors visited the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night at the Fiserv Forum. The Warriors played the second half of a back-to-back after their 140-131 victory in Chicago on Friday night. Stephen Curry sat on the bench as Steve Kerr said that Curry was "exhausted."

The Bucks, who previously defeated the Boston Celtics by 33 points, played their dynamic duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. Antetokounmpo finished the game with 33 points, nine rebounds and five assists, while Lillard played the perfect co-star to follow up with 27 points, six rebounds and seven assists.

The Warriors hung around despite being short-handed of their superstar with a rare day off and ultimately fell short to the Bucks 118-129.

Kerr talked about the Warriors' recent form in the post-game interview, saying,

"We clearly lost our belief and our spirit, our edge whatever you wanna call it. Those last two home games of our homestand and it was embarrassing for all us and I think in the last few days that's all we've talked about."

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Golden State Warriors show resilience after struggles

The Warriors showcased many positive signs amid recent struggles, relaying their slogan "strength in numbers" in their second game of the road trip. They kept the game competitive till the first half, going into the break with an advantage of 56-54.

Playing in his own city, rookie Brandin Podziemski started in place of Curry and established himself as one of the team's scrappiest and most productive players. Podziemski finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and three assists for his third double-double.

Jonathan Kuminga came off the bench after getting starts in recent games and scored a team-high 28 points. With 21 points and six 3-pointers, Klay Thompson passed LeBron James in the NBA 3-pointer history books.

The Warriors improved upon their season-low five turnovers the previous night by only committing four against the Bucks.

The Warriors' defense, which remains a problem, took a big step when they limited the Bucks to 54 points in the first half. That halted a three-game streak when the Warriors let 70 points or more in the first half. The Warriors' bench was also a positive for the night by having a 49-23 advantage over the Bucks' bench production.

Albeit short, the Bucks were able to pull through in the fourth following Antetokounmpo's lead and the Bucks' overall physicality for the small-ball lineup of the Warriors.