Kerr pointed to a familiar issue after the game, explaining that his team's energy and body language fell apart when Phoenix made its move.
The Golden State Warriors have struggled to close out games this season, and their 99-98 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night was another example of that.
Kerr Calls Out Team's Energy
The Warriors held a 14-point lead early in the third quarter before the Suns went on an 18-4 run to get back into the game.
Golden State went scoreless during a brutal 4:42 stretch in the third quarter, and Kerr was not happy with how his team handled the moment.
"We turned it over quite a bit," Kerr said after the game. "I thought we let our shoulders drop a little bit. Energy, spirit, let ourselves feel sorry for ourselves a little bit when they made the run. We've just got to be sharper with the ball. We've got to be better with our body language and our energy."
The turnovers were a major problem for Golden State, as the team gave the ball away 20 times and the Suns turned those into 30 points.
Seven of those turnovers came in the third quarter alone, which is when Phoenix flipped the game on its head and erased what looked like a comfortable Warriors lead.
Butler Shines in Featured Role
While Kerr was frustrated with the turnovers and lack of energy, he did have some positive things to say about Jimmy Butler, who finished with 31 points on 11-of-17 shooting.
Butler, who is averaging 19.1 points per game this season, also hit a game-tying three-pointer with 35.5 seconds left to give the Warriors a chance.
"We got good looks. Sometimes the ball doesn't go in, and that happens," Kerr said. "A tough night shooting, but you can still win those games."
Devin Booker scored 23 of his 25 points in the second half and led the Suns' comeback push with 12 points during that decisive third-quarter run.
Dillon Brooks added 24 points for Phoenix. The game ended on a controversial foul call on Moses Moody with 0.4 seconds left, which sent Jordan Goodwin to the free throw line where he hit the game-winner.
Stephen Curry, who had scored 87 points over his previous two games, struggled with a 3-of-13 shooting night and finished with just 15 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
What's Next
The loss dropped the Warriors to 13-15 on the season, which marks the first time this year they have fallen two games below .500.
They have now lost three straight and are 4-9 over their last 13 games. The Suns improved to 15-12 with the win.
Golden State will get a quick chance at revenge when they host Phoenix at Chase Center on Saturday night for the second game of their home-and-home series.