The Golden State Warriors' turbulent start to the 2025-26 season took another depressing turn on Wednesday night, as the team lost a fourth-quarter lead to the Houston Rockets in a 104-100 setback to fall to 10-10 on the year. To make matters worse, franchise player Stephen Curry suffered a quad injury in the loss that will sideline him for a minimum of 1 to 2 weeks. 

Despite the fact that Curry’s injury happened toward the end of the game in the fourth quarter, Kerr actually insisted that the turning point in Wednesday’s loss was when the team allowed their double-digit lead in the third quarter to slip thanks to a series of undisciplined fouls.

“I would argue that the game changed in the last five minutes of the third quarter,” Kerr said. “We had like a 12-point lead in there, and we just started turning it over and fouling. You know, we were in the bonus, they were in the bonus for the last five minutes. I think we fouled them three or four times.”

Kerr expressed further concern for his team’s lack of control in that third-quarter situation and explained that the run, combined with the Warriors’ lack of bench production, led to him inserting sharpshooter Pat Spencer into the lineup to start the fourth instead of rolling with the typical five that he usually does at that point in the game. 

“We just kept giving them easy points and didn't really execute much offensively,” Kerr said. “We missed some open ones, but it never felt like we had any rhythm and flow, (which is why I went to Pat (Spencer) in the fourth. Pat has to start the fourth."

“He's given us some good minutes off the bench so far in the early season and helped us get, some offensive rhythm and, but that group just couldn't get anything going. And so it was, yeah, it was a tough stretch in the late third and early fourth.”

That wasn’t the first lineup change Kerr made on Wednesday. He also made the call to start rookie Will Richard, who scored 18 points on an efficient 7-of-12 from the field.

“Well you can see it,” Kerr said. “He’s in the right spot at the right time. He has a lot of confidence. He’s not afraid to let it fly. He never turns it over, just connects the game. He makes the game easier for everybody else. He’s kind of wise beyond his years. So I’ve got 100-percent trust in him.”

Golden State returns to action on Saturday as they host the visiting New Orleans Pelicans in Kevon Looney's return to the Bay.