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USA TODAY
The Golden State Warriors blew a 16-point lead Sunday night and lost to the Phoenix Suns for the first time since Nov. 9, 2014. Kevin Durant exited with a right ankle injury midway through the fourth quarter and did not return.
Things didn’t get better after the loss either.
Normally reserved Klay Thompson called out the home crowd at Oracle Arena, criticizing the fans’ lack of energy.
“I expect our crowd to be a little more into it, too,” Thompson said after the Warriors lost for the fourth time in six games. “I know it’s not the playoffs, but it is our last go-round at Oracle. At least you could stand up if someone makes a good play, especially at the beginning. We need that energy, especially this time of the year.”
The Warriors are playing their final season at storied Oracle Arena in Oakland, their home since the 1971-72 season. Next year, the team will move into the $1 billion Chase Center in San Francisco.
Golden State has enjoyed one of the league’s best home-court advantages at Oracle, especially in recent years while the team won three of the last four NBA championships.
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The Warriors are 4-6 in their last 10 games following a stretch where they won 16 of 17 from January to early February. The recent downturn includes home losses to the Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics and now the Suns, who have the second-worst record in the NBA.
While they still own the best record in the Western Conference, Thompson is hoping the Warriors and the fans regain their form down the stretch heading into the playoffs.
“It’s hard to conjure up energy every single night because you’re looking forward to the playoffs and that run. So we expect our fans to kind of bring that from the jump,” Thompson said. “It’s like us though, you can’t bring it every night, but still, it helps. It doesn’t matter if we’re playing the Suns or the Bucks, whoever it is. We need that energy from them because we feed off that.”
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