Steve Kerr, Warriors,
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Head coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors gives direction to his team during the first half against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center on December 14, 2025 in Portland, Oregon.
The Golden State Warriors will continue to start the five-man lineup of Stephen Curry, Moses Moody, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Quinten Post in the future, barring any injuries, per head coach Steve Kerr.
The same lineup started in the previous game against the Portland Trail Blazers, when the Warriors suffered a 136-131 loss and wasted Curry’s 48-point masterpiece.
The lineup fared well on the offensive end in their 8.9 minutes on the floor, shooting 52.9% from the field and 57% from three with a plus/minus of -1. It was the first instance of Kerr using this specific lineup after Green missed the previous three games, causing the Warriors to experiment with various combinations.
However, the lineup was a disaster on the defensive end, allowing 131.8 points per 100 possessions, with the Blazers shooting 62.5% from three (5-of-8).
Anthony Slater
In a search for better continuity, Steve Kerr said he will keep the five-man group of Steph Curry, Moses Moody, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Quinten Post as the established starting lineup for the foreseeable future (barring injury).
Warriors Search for Better Spacing
On paper, there’s some logic in Kerr’s strategy to go with the lineup, since Post has made 1.7 threes per game in December at a clip of 39%, proving to be the stretch-5 that the Warriors have coveted for years. Also, Moody has consistently been Golden State’s second-best long-range shooter behind Curry.
As such, Green and Butler are really the only two non-shooters in the Warriors’ new starting five. That said, it remains to be seen if they can iron out their defensive issues.
“I would love to get some continuity,” Kerr said Tuesday of his decision to stick with a new starting lineup, via NBC Sports Bay Area.
“It’s been tough to string together games with everyone healthy and the same starting lineup. So, assuming everybody’s available in Phoenix, we’ll start the same way we did last game. I’d like to keep doing that to really build some continuity with the starting lineup and then also with the rotation off the bench.”
Warriors Keep Blowing Leads
To Kerr’s point, the Warriors have had some bad luck with injuries of late, causing him to trot out different starting units in each of the last nine games. Curry (five), Green (six) and Butler (two) have all missed multiple games during the nine-game stretch.
“To be honest, it’s been impossible the last couple of weeks,” Kerr said. “I mean, I don’t think we’ve had Dray, Steph and Jimmy all together since the Houston game, which was, I don’t know, six or seven games ago. And then obviously Pat [Spencer] played so well on the road and I wanted to reward him and we got two wins with him starting.
“Circumstances have led to some of the lack of continuity, but I can do a better job of trying to help the guys build some of that too,” added the future Hall of Famer.
The lack of continuity has affected Golden State’s ability to maintain leads. Kerr’s men have blown six fourth-quarter leads this season, which leads the NBA, ahead of lottery-bound teams like the Washington Wizards, New Orleans Pelicans and LA Clippers.
Amid the struggles, the Warriors have hit Jonathan Kuminga with three consecutive healthy DNPs. Kuminga may get his next opportunity when the Warriors face the Phoenix Suns in an away game on Thursday night.