With a chance to close out the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 5 at Oracle Arena, the Golden State Warriors instead laid a major egg defensively and took home a 129-121 defeat, sending this series back to LA. The Warriors have now lost consecutive games at home in this series after winning Game 1 in convincing fashion, marking the first time they've lost consecutive home playoff games since losing Games 5 and 7 at Oracle in the infamous 2016 NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers:

The Warriors have had their issues at home all season. While their 30-11 record looks good and was actually better than last season's mark of 29-12, they suffered a handful of blowout defeats and also lost at Oracle to the lowly Phoenix Suns, which resulted in Klay Thompson criticizing the fans afterward.

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Jarrett Allen surrounded by piles of cash.

Spencer See ·

Golden State used to be close to unbeatable at Oracle, but those days are long gone. The Warriors are trying to give Oracle one final celebratory sendoff before moving to the new Chase Center next season, but they're going to have to start playing better on their home floor if this is going to happen.

Golden State is still the favorite to win the title, but there has been vulnerability creeping in for much of the season. This first-round series going six games at the least, with two losses at Oracle, isn't a great sign of things to come, but perhaps the Warriors will permanently flip a switch soon. They certainly have the talent to do so, even without DeMarcus Cousins, but the focus needs to be there.