Stephen Curry says the Golden State Warriors must "bring an edge" as he and coach Steve Kerr aim to heed the lessons from the shock loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

The Warriors held a 19-point advantage heading into the final quarter on Sunday, yet ultimately slipped to a 107-101 loss – their fifth defeat in seven games.

Golden State's brilliant start to the season has them comfortably among the top teams in the NBA, with a 43-18 record, though their recent form will be a worry.

For Curry, however, the defeat can provide lessons on what the Warriors have to anticipate as the regular season enters its final stages and the playoffs approach.

"We played great defense for 36 minutes," Curry, who had a double-double of 27 points and 10 assists, said.

"We felt like we had the game under control. For whatever reason, our energy shifted when we missed a couple of shots, empty possessions.

"They come down and score, we start getting deflated, and for no reason.

"We've got to figure out how to maintain our energy when the shots aren't falling. Because, that's what it might be like in a playoff game.

"So I'd like to say it was a good lesson to learn, even though it sucks to have to go through it.

"We've got to bring an edge. Sustain that over 48 minutes and each game we'll have an opportunity to do that, to turn it into a positive and try to build momentum, but it's not going to happen on its own just because the coach says it or because we want it to. We've got to do it."

It was a sentiment echoed by Kerr, whose side's capitulation marked the biggest blown fourth-quarter lead so far this season. 

"We did not maintain our grit down the stretch," said Kerr, who has previously been highly critical of his teams defense across their poor run.

"We just let our momentum get away from us. We can't just say, 'Oh well, when Draymond [Green] and Andre [Iguodala] get back we will be better.' It doesn't matter who's out there. We've got to get better executing under pressure and maintaining competence.

"It's actually good to go through and feel it because this is what it feels like in the playoffs, when you're playing against a really good team."

Draymond Green has returned to practice for the first time with the Golden State Warriors since early January as he closes in on a return from injury.

Green has been out since January 9 with a lower back injury but joined in shooting drills and 5-on-0 conditioning.

The All-Star forward has spent plenty of time during his rehab phase in the weight room and said he was "stronger than I've ever been in my life" in an ominous sign for the Warriors.

"My progress has been tremendous," Green said. "I think, where I am today, if you knew where I was eight weeks ago or seven weeks ago, it's night and day."

He added: "I'm stronger than I've ever been in my life. I spent six weeks just sitting in the weight room, working in there for four, five hours a day."

The Warriors remain reluctant to offer a firm timeframe on Green's return to play, with head coach Steve Kerr simply stating it was good to have him back in team practice.

Green, however, admitted he was still weeks away but he should return to get some on-court time ahead of the playoffs, with the Warriors well placed at 43-17 and second in the west.

"I'm trying to stick to as fast as I can possibly get back," Green said. "From where I am, you feel like it's three weeks or so, but it could be five weeks or so. It's no set thing.

"In a week and a half, it could be like my conditioning is at a level, my strength is at a level, my explosiveness is at a level where you can go back out there.

"Like I said, as soon as I feel like I'm whole and can get back out there and get my feet back under me before the playoffs, great. If that's 15 games, fantastic. If it's 10, I'll make do. If it's five, then five is going to have to work."

Stephen Curry is aiming to help the Golden State Warriors "peak at the right time" after Thursday's 132-95 rout of the Portland Trail Blazers.

Fresh from the All-Star break, where he hit 16 threes in a 50-point showing, Curry provided 14 assists and put up 18 points in Portland.

Steve Kerr's side had lost four of the previous five games, but Curry hopes the Warriors are set for a strong run leading into the playoffs.

"I'm just trying to enjoy the process, I'm trying to peak at the right time with my guys," he said.

"It's a strong start to the last home stretch and we've got to keep building.

"There's 22 games left where we've got to be our best selves come playoff time, and it's going to be nice to be back on that stage."

The dominant nature of the performance provided plenty of room for optimism for Curry, whose team shook off a slow start after trailing at the end of the first quarter.

"I'm very encouraged," he said. "I thought defensively we asserted our will after the first quarter, really understood how to get stops and turn it into easy offense.

"Portland's different now but they still require your attention, they've got a couple of guys that can light it up."

Curry's display helped seven of his team-mates reach double-figure points tallies and coach Steve Kerr was thrilled with his star man.

"Steph was brilliant," said Kerr. "I loved his patience and the way he ran the team. He played a beautiful game."

Steve Kerr claimed the Golden State Warriors defense has been "bad for six or seven games" after his team lost 119-104 to the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Warriors are 42-16 for the season with a 72.4 win percentage, but they have now lost three of their last four games, having gone on a nine-game winning streak prior to that.

Kerr questioned his team's defensive work before Monday's loss, yet that did not help the Warriors against the Clippers, who scored 54 points from in the paint.

After the defeat, Kerr did not hold back in his criticism.

"I was doing a lot of yelling," Kerr told reporters. "The main thing is that our defense has been bad. It's been bad for six or seven games now. It's hard to win in this league when you're looking like we are, defensively, with so many holes in our games.

"They went right around us. It's been something different every night.

"When you can't count on the connection defensively and the competitiveness and the fire, every night is going to be a little different depending on what talent you're going against."

Despite their recent troubles, the Warriors still have the second-best defensive record in the Western Conference when it comes to points allowed per game, with only the Dallas Mavericks (103.1) allowing fewer than Golden State (103.5).

However, Kerr believes that the statistic is skewed because of the Warriors' strong start to the season.

"I know we are number one in defense," he said, making air quote signs. "But we're not right now. Those numbers are inflated by what we did earlier in the season.

"Over the last seven games, we are probably bottom five, if not dead last in defensive rating.

"It's up to us. We're going to have to find the effort, the communication, connection, to get back to doing the things we were doing before."

Kerr has a point. The Warriors have allowed 113.3 points per game over the last seven games, while so far in February, their opponents are averaging 51.4 points in the paint.

That has seen the Warriors drop from the fourth-best team in the league to fifth defensively in the paint for the season, and over the seven-game span this month they sit in 21st place in that aspect.

Klay Thompson shot a season-best 33 points, marking a major milestone in his recovery from long-term injury, as the Golden State Warriors narrowly edged the Los Angeles Lakers 117-115 on Saturday.

Thompson has been slowly building up his game time since returning from consecutive ACL and Achilles injuries that left him on the shelf for two and a half years, and recently bumped it up to 30 minutes per game, which allowed him to top score against the Lakers.

The 32-year-old shot five-of-nine from beyond the arc, with Stephen Curry (24 points, five rebounds, eight assists) taking a backseat. LeBron James managed 26 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists for the Lakers.

"After not feeling that feeling for a few years, don't take a 30-ball lightly in this league," Thompson said after the win at Chase Center.

"I know that is always in me, but these things happen naturally. If I can play to do that every fourth quarter, I would. It's the flow of the game. Great things happen with time.

"It was really inspiring for myself. There were so many long days in this building, so many long days doing those tedious things. That is something that I wasn't used to prior due to my ability to play nightly. Now that I am able to do that, it inspires me to keep going.

"I am not satisfied. It felt really freaking good, though."

Warriors coach Steve Kerr was effusive in his praise of Thompson after the victory that takes his team to 42-15 for the season.

"[He was] phenomenal," Kerr said. "Just took one game at a time when we desperately needed him. With our offense kind of struggling to [find] a groove, and he got hot and took over the game."

Curry – who uncharacteristically managed just one three-pointer from eight attempts on the night – was also impressed with Thompson's efforts, saying: "It's still early in his comeback, but every night is a step in the right direction. To have that energy, that confidence in himself, nothing else matters in that moment."

Klay Thompson reflected on reaching a "huge milestone" after bumping up his playing time to 30 minutes in the Golden State Warriors' 110-98 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Regarded as one of the best shooters in NBA history, Thompson has been slowly building up his game time since returning from consecutive ACL and Achilles injuries that left him on the shelf for two and a half years.

He drained two late three-pointers to evoke memories of his Game 6 heroics against the same opponents in 2016 when he nailed 11 three-point efforts – a playoff record.

"That's a huge milestone for myself, and hopefully I can build on it," Thompson said.

"I feel incredible. I feel like I haven't missed a beat only 12 games in."

The majority of Thompson's minutes came in the second half, playing 17.21 in the final two quarters.

Head coach Steve Kerr explained why, saying: "It was awesome just to have Klay back in crunch time. 

"Knowing the defense was going to be heavily slighted toward Steph [Curry] and for him to get free and knock down a couple of shots, it was really fun to see."

An increase to Thompson's playing time will be a welcome relief for Kerr, who is still without Draymond Green, James Wiseman and Nemanja Bjelica, while Andre Iguodala sustained lower back tightness against the Thunder having returned after nine games on the sidelines.

"Meaning we don't have to think about it [rotating]," Kerr said of the boost of Thompson's minutes. 

"Like, we don't have to pull him out. He might be going really well and we can play him a few extra minutes without having to follow really strict guidelines."

Thompson's late efforts were not necessarily in keeping with his performance overall. Prior to those shots he was one-of-six from three-point range (finishing three-of-eight by the end of the game) and was six-of-15 from the floor overall.

But superstar team-mate Steph Curry believes the Warriors will continue to see the very best of Thompson as his minutes gradually increase.

"There's just confidence knowing he still has that instinct and no matter how the game is going up to that point. He's still got the shooter's DNA of the next shot is going in," Curry said. 

"As his minutes ramp up, you'll continue to see those high peaks and Klay going nuts."

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is not worried about Stephen Curry's recent shooting slump after another "tough night" in Saturday's 110-106 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

Curry made 14 of his 19 points in the final quarter, shooting five-of-18 for the game including three-of-10 from beyond the arc, as the Warriors edged past the Nets minus James Harden (hand) and Kevin Durant (knee).

The two-time MVP's struggles continued a below-par recent run, shooting at 35 percent from the field and 29 percent from beyond the arc in his past five games. Curry has shot at 42 percent from the field and 38 percent from three-point range across this season.

"It's a question I'll keep getting if he's not shooting the ball well, but I'm not worried about him," Kerr said at the post-game news conference.

"I'm not. He's Steph Curry, one of the great players of all time. He's had a tough night tonight but he helps us win routinely and does so much beyond just making shots. It'll come round for him."

Curry has previously been impacted by a hand injury and appeared to favour that at times on Saturday but Kerr insisted it was not currently an issue or reason for his slump.

"He's told me he feels great physically," Kerr said. "We've talked a lot about the schedule and the minutes.

"I'm really aware of what needs to happen in terms of monitoring his minute and when we can push him harder and when we can't. I think he's in a good place physically. He's going to be fine."

Curry became the Warriors' all-time career leader in games after surpassing Chris Mullin's mark of 808 appearances on Saturday.

The 33-year-old point guard broke the NBA's all-time record for most three-pointers made earlier this season while he also holds several single-season team milestones too, but Kerr praised Curry's loyalty, having been with the Warriors since being pick seven in the 2009 NBA Draft.

“I love that particular record just because it signifies his loyalty to the franchise and vice-versa,” Kerr said pre-game.

“The love affair that exists between Steph and The Bay is pretty unique.”

First-time All-Star Andrew Wiggins kept the Warriors going in the first half with 17 points, finishing with a team-high 24 points along with eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks.

"Andrew was phenomenal tonight. [Two] blocks and three steals," Kerr said. "[He was] All over the place defensively and on offense he was our most consistent player.

"He carried us in the first half. He’s playing with a lot of confidence and showing why he's an All-Star."

Meanwhile, Nets head coach Steve Nash offered an update on Harden who missed the game with a hand strain.

"We'll have to see how it settles but we're hopeful [for next game]," Nash said.

Klay Thompson warned that a full-strength Golden State Warriors are "going to be real scary" after he marked his return to form and fitness with a fine display on Thursday.

Thompson and Stephen Curry combined for 11 three-pointers as the Warriors strung together a fourth consecutive win with a 124-115 triumph over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

With 23 points, five rebounds and four assists to his name, it was a showing that suggested Thompson's injury woes were well behind him, with a combination of ACL and Achilles problems having sidelined him for two and a half years before his return earlier this month.

And with Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green among the players still waiting to come back into the side amid injury lay-offs, Thompson is excited to see what the Warriors can do when they have everyone available.

"I thought we were going to play like this my first game back. Maybe I was a little naive," he said.

"It's going to get better every night. And when our full squad is back, it's going to be real scary."

Curry finished with 29 points – including six triples – eight rebounds and six assists as the Warriors rallied from a three-point half-time deficit with a 38-20 third quarter to improve to 36-13, with the best home record (23-4) in the NBA.

Former Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins, on the same night he was named an All-Star for the first time, contributed 19 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 31 points, 12 rebounds and six assists and Anthony Edwards added 27 points with six rebounds and six assists.

Coach Steve Kerr took huge encouragement from a performance that hinted at what might be to come from his side in the remainder of the season.

"It's a really good indicator of what our team can look like with Klay back and everybody healthy, for the most part, in terms of our shooters," he said.

"With these last couple of games, the spacing that we've had and the ball movement, we've gotten great shots."

Curry, whose three-point shooting had come in for scrutiny after a notable drop-off, was pleased to see his self-belief pay off as he put on a show.

"Stay confident, keep taking shots I feel like I can make," Curry said of his approach in the wake of the criticism that had come his way.

"It's the balance of maintaining who I am on the court and how I enjoy the game even when things aren't going my way. That joy has to remain. Everybody feeds off of it. If I'm in my feelings and thinking about my shot, it takes away from everything else that we do.

"When a couple goes down early, it's a good feeling. You want to ride that energy, that wave."

Steve Kerr has accepted the blame for the Golden State Warriors' shock defeat to a depleted Indiana Pacers side, saying "this was my night to stink it up".

Stephen Curry's 39 points were not enough for the Warriors as they lost 121-117 in overtime on Thursday to go 32-13 for the season.

The Warriors gave away 21 turnovers against a Pacers side without Domantas Sabonis (ankle), Caris LeVert (calf) and Malcolm Brogdon (Achilles).

Kerr's side led by three points in regulation time, making the decision not to foul in the build-up to the Pacers' game-tying shot all the more surprising.

Speaking on the back of arguably the Warriors' worst defeat this season, Kerr said: "I'm normally a fouler, so I take the hit on that one. Tonight was my night to stink it up.

"I blame myself, number one. I don't think I prepared my team to be ready to play. I did not do a good job of preparing the group."

Curry's 39 points are the most he has managed in a game since before Christmas, with his season average of 26.4 down on last term's career-high 32.0.

The 33-year-old failed to score in overtime, while Klay Thompson missed all seven of his 3-point tries in a day to forget for the Warriors.

"It wasn't a great game in terms of our execution," Kerr said. "It just felt like we were scattered out there and in a rush for sure."

Thursday's defeat was a chastening one for the Warriors and leaves them second in the Western Conference with a .711 win percentage.

And like coach Kerr, Curry felt he could have done more to get his side over the line in regulation time by fouling Justin Holiday or Isaiah Jackson for the shot that tied the game.

"I looked at the ball for like two seconds," Curry said. "Holiday made a good cut and made a shot. I know there's that conversation, should we have fouled and all. 

"I was just a step slow and that one gave him too wide-open of a look. Trying to guard the inbounds and I got caught looking."

The shorthanded Pacers have moved to 17-29 for the season after beating LeBron James' Los Angeles Lakers and Curry's Warriors in successive games.

In doing so, they become the second side in NBA history to beat different multi-time former MVPs on the road in back-to-back games.

Chris Duarte, who led the way for the Pacers with 27 points and seven rebounds to tie his career-best return, hailed the significance of his side's surprise victory.

"Golden State is a great, great team," he said. 

"They got two of the best players – two of the best shooters that you've ever seen in this game – so I think us coming out with the win, it's a huge, huge win for us."

Steve Kerr insisted the Golden State Warriors' defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks is not a cause for concern as it is normal for sides to go through difficult spells.

The Warriors were beaten 118-99 by a Giannis Antetokounmpo-inspired Bucks on Thursday to make it four defeats in their past five games.

Despite losing to the Dallas Mavericks, the New Orleans Pelicans, the Memphis Grizzlies and the Bucks, Kerr's side are second in the Western Conference with a 30-11 record.

Without the injured Draymond Green once again, the Warriors showed some fight in the second half to reduce a 39-point deficit to 18, but that was as close as they got to the Bucks.

"I know we just got our butts kicked, but we're just in a rough patch in our season," Kerr said at his media conference. 

"It happens to every team, every year pretty much with very few exceptions. 

"We're in a little bit of a rut and we were playing a team that was ready and played a great first half. We're a little out of sorts. We've just got to get back on track, and we will."

Draymond Green is unlikely to play in the Golden State Warriors' upcoming road games against the Milwaukee Bucks and the Chicago Bulls according to head coach Steve Kerr.

The Warriors are 28-6 this season with Green in the side but also 2-4 in games he has missed, highlighting his importance.

Klay Thompson's long-awaited return from injury on Sunday coincided with Green's calf tightness meaning the Warriors are yet to have that pair and two-time MVP Stephen Curry together.

Kerr said after Tuesday's 116-108 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies that Green would not be returning during their four-game road trip despite some reports.

"I think it's doubtful right now that he would join us," Kerr told reporters. "He's doing well.

"With the back-to-back, it seems far-fetched to think that we'll just fly him out and play him. He's not ready to do that. We'll see how it goes the next couple of days."

The return of Thompson, with the Warriors second in the west with a 30-10 record, marks a new beginning according to Kerr who said they will "shuffle the deck".

Thompson, who had not played for 941 days prior to Sunday's return, has spent 20 minutes on court in both appearances.

"That'll be a process as he continues to ramp up his minutes and we get Draymond back," Kerr said. "You'll see the team start to form in terms of how we're going to close games, not only offensively bur defensively.

"In a strange way, these three to four weeks are going to be about re-establishing our identity as a team. We did a great job in the first 40 games in becoming a great defensive team.

"A lot of guys have played important minutes and established roles but now that's going to be shaping up a bit because Klay is going to play a huge role.

"We've learned a lot about our young guys. Over this next month we're going to shuffle the deck and try some different combinations and try get everything in order for the stretch run and playoffs."

He added: "It's no secret that down the stretch we're going to want Steph [Curry] and Klay shooting big shots. Wigs [Andrew Wiggins] can also attack and get to the rim. We're going to call a lot of plays for Klay and try to get the ball in his hands."

Stephen Curry hailed the Golden State Warriors' win against the Phoenix Suns on Christmas Day as "huge" given the number of players missing.

Against a comparatively healthy Suns squad, the Warriors were without Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole, Damion Lee and Moses Moody (health and safety protocols), along with several assistant coaches, and Andre Iguodala (knee), Klay Thompson (Achilles/ACL) and James Wiseman (meniscus) still out with injury.

Curry was available but has previously struggled on Christmas, averaging just 13.1 points in his eight career games on the festive day. That ranked as his worst average points haul on any date he has played on more than twice.

However, the Warriors' star guard excelled against the Suns on Saturday, achieving a game-high 33 points in the 116-107 win.

Otto Porter Jr also impressed in a rare start for Golden State, with a late flurry helping to see his team home as 13 of his 19 points came in the fourth quarter, making several clutch shots.

Speaking after the game, Curry said: "It's nice to win on Christmas, nice to win on the road against the best record in the league, short-handed. All the other context of the situation, a huge win.

"Everybody stepped up. It was a great atmosphere. Just toughed it out at the end, and obviously, Otto took over down the stretch, so that was huge all the way around."

Steve Kerr's Warriors now move half a game ahead of the Suns, with a league-best 27-6 record.

Kerr was delighted with the showing from his depleted side, making special mention of how Curry rose to the occasion despite being one of their only star men available.

"Steph was amazing," he said. "Facing that defense with so much attention on him, missing three of our best shooters, for him to see that type of defense and find his way to 33 points - he was a plus-24 - so even when he was not making shots, he was still impacting the game just by pulling the defense over towards him.

"Steph was brilliant, so was Draymond [Green]. I thought [Kevon] Looney did a hell of a job, as well, so it was a great team win."

Steve Kerr reflected on the Golden State Warriors' display against the Memphis Grizzlies as "about as good as it gets" after Stephen Curry starred in a 113-104 win.

Warriors fans chanted "MVP" to Curry as he scored 46 points – including eight three-pointers – in an inspired performance at Chase Center on Thursday.

The win for Golden State took their NBA-best record at home this season to 16-2 and left them on 26-6.

Warriors head coach Kerr was thrilled with the way his side went about seeing off the 19-14 Grizzlies and lavished praise on Curry.

"That's about as good as it gets against a very physical defense with great size," Warriors head coach Kerr said.

"Over the last 10-12 games, Memphis had the best defensive rating in the league. For Steph to go out and get 46, he showed every bit of his talent tonight. This was his most efficient game in a couple weeks, for sure."

Curry suffered a twisted ankle in the fourth quarter, but revealed he was fine after the game.

The two-time MVP felt it was a hugely important win in the Warriors' season.

He said: "Definitely wanted this one. Definitely felt like it was one [we] can't let slip by because of the history but also because knowing what it's going to take to win a game like this.

"You carry that chip on your shoulder and understand this is our home court."

Steve Kerr has been confirmed as the new coach of the United States men's basketball team for 2022-24.

USA Basketball announced the appointment on Monday, with Kerr replacing San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich at the helm. Kerr had been Popovich's assistant on the national team since 2017.

Popovich – a five-time NBA champion with the Spurs – led the US to glory at this year's Tokyo Games, their fourth consecutive Olympic gold.

The team will have a similarly impressive staff moving forward, with Kerr in charge having won the NBA title five times as a player and on three occasions as coach of the Golden State Warriors.

The Warriors stood 24-6 for this year ahead of a Monday night game with the Sacramento Kings, as they make another run at the championship. They have improved Kerr's career win percentage to 69.3 – the third-best mark in NBA history. Among coaches with three wins or more, Popovich (66.3 per cent) ranks eighth.

Kerr will be supported by Gonzaga coach Mark Few, the Miami Heat's Erik Spoelstra and the Phoenix Suns' Monty Williams.

"I'm incredibly honoured and humbled to represent our country as the head coach for the USA Basketball men's national team," Kerr said in a statement. "It's a thrilling opportunity and I'm excited for the challenge."

Assuming the US qualify, Kerr will be in charge for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup and the 2024 Olympics in Paris.