The Golden State Warriors lost 114-98 to the Miami Heat at home to go 18-18 in the NBA, having started with a 12-3 record.
The Golden State Warriors' head coach Steve Kerr has suggested that his team are suffering a 'crisis of confidence' following heavy back-to-back defeats at home.
The Warriors followed their 129-99 defeat to the Sacramento Kings with a 114-98 loss against the Miami Heat at Chase Center on Tuesday, with Stephen Curry describing his emotions after the game as "just p***** off".
"You're trying to figure it out," said an exasperated Curry, who managed 31 points and seven assists. "Everybody in the locker room is kind of searching a little bit, trying to understand what's going wrong, why we can't get off to better starts.
"Moments in the game where you're climbing back, you can't get consecutive stops. Bad possessions on offense that affect our confidence and body language and the vibe.
"There's a lot wrong, but what are you going to do about it? We have to dig deep, figure it out, believe that we are a good team. Got to stop talking about it and around it and just fight our way through it."
The defeat gives the Warriors a record of 18-18 and, having gone 12-3 to start the season, people are trying to get to the bottom of where it went so wrong.
The home side will have felt that Tuesday's game was an opportunity to bounce back from their embarrassment against the Kings, with the Heat on a three-game losing streak and also dealing with the news that Jimmy Butler has been suspended for seven games. It turned out to be anything but.
"I expected better energy," Kerr said. "I think we're suffering from a crisis of confidence right now, frankly.
"You can see it. You can feel it. I don't mind missed shots, but I mind when missed shots affect the defense and the attitude.
"We feel deflated right now. And there's no room for feeling sorry for ourselves in the NBA, in life in general. We can't let disappointment dictate our approach to the game. We have to do the opposite. We have to bring more fire. We have to outcompete our opponents when things aren't going our way.
"That was what was most disappointing tonight, was I just felt like everybody was down and we didn't have a competitive spirit. And if you don't have that, you've got nothing."
Questioned on how the Warriors can improved offensively, after shooting just 40.8% overall, Curry was lost for answers.
"Honestly, I have no idea," said Curry, who called the past two home losses "back-to-back no-shows."
He added: "I wish I could... we're going to try to figure it out, but I don't have an answer right now."