Donte DiVincenzo was not pleased with the team effort on display by the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors had a chance to further cement their place as the No. 5 seed when they played a Nikola Jokic-less Nuggets team in Denver on Sunday.
But despite a 10-point lead in the first quarter, they still managed to end up losing as the Nuggets won 112-110 to move the Warriors back to the No. 6 seed below the Los Angeles Clippers.
Although the Warriors fought back in the last quarter, the damage was really done in the second and third quarter as the Dubs gave up offensive rebounds and continued to pile up the turnovers.
One of the bright spots of the game was DiVincenzo, who finished with 18 points, 13 rebounds and four assists and gave it his all in his 32 minutes of game time.
When asked who it was on to bring the team together during poor performances, the former Milwaukee Bucks guard gave a frank assessment.
“Us. Ultimately, you have to look yourself in the mirror,” DiVincenzo said in the post-game press conference. “If you're out there playing this game and you're waiting for somebody else to tell you to get your head out of your ass, that's not going to work. It's not going to win games. You have to look yourself in the mirror and it's got to start from within.
“We have great leaders, we rely on those leaders big time. But everyone outside of that, we have to come together as well. Because that's a lot of responsibility on three, four of those guys and I think, will take them to a new level when everybody else sticks together and uplifts them as well.”
"Ultimately you look yourself in the mirror. If you're out there playing this game and you're waiting for somebody else to tell you to get your head out of your ass, that's not going to work."
Donte kept it real when talking about the Warriors' effort at times in tonight's game pic.twitter.com/zNkc02LIb1
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 3, 2023
In hindsight, the loss may be a good thing. Finishing the season as the #5 seed would earn the Warriors a first-round matchup with the Phoenix Suns, who are playoff favorites with Kevin Durant.
However, with the Los Angeles Lakers and the New Orleans Pelicans also surging, Steve Kerr's men can't afford to lose any more games.
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