Warriors torched in back-to-back blowouts

Back-to-back blowouts for Golden State could leave worried Warriors fans haunted by their least-favorite old sayings:

“All good things must come to an end.”

Or:

“Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.”

And of course:

“Same old Warriors.”

The Warriors embarked on a four-game five-night road trip this week that started out with back-to-back shellackings at the hands of the Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder, Tuesday and Wednesday night.

Both games ended in embarrassment for Golden State, with the Rockets winning 140-109, setting a team record and tying the NBA record for most 3-pointers made in a game, and the Thunder blowing past the Warriors defense on what seemed like every play and winning 119-98.

Head Coach Mark Jackson downplayed the consecutive losses after the game against the Thunder Wednesday night:

Post Game Audio: Warriors Coach Mark Jackson

“We’re not concerned. We lost to two good teams in their building. I have a team that’s going to respond, so we’re not going to panic.”

A bit of panic, though, might be just what the Warriors need. On Tuesday night a listless Warriors team let the Rockets put on a shooting exhibition, tying an NBA record by hitting 23 of 40 from downtown.

It wasn’t until the last minutes of the game — when Coach Jackson started to sense a record being inflicted against his team — that things started to get gritty.

Houston had tied the NBA record for three’s made at 23. The crowd was chanting “One more three, one more three,” and the Rockets had the green light.

That’s when Coach Jackson decided that being outplayed was one thing, but he didn’t want a record set against his team.  The Warriors started intentionally fouling so no more threes could be taken, and no records would be set.

When asked about his decision to start fouling at the end of the game, Jackson said his team wasn’t going to allow that kind of scoring to continue:

Post Game Audio: Warriors Coach Mark Jackson

“We’re not gonna lay down. …So if you’re going to try to get the record, we’re going to stop you. There’s a way to do it, that’s all.”

The only problem is: The Warriors did lay down. They let the Rockets launch their way nearly to an NBA record before doing anything, letting the Thunder expose their defensive flaws while assaulting them on offense, scoring 64 points in the paint and 29 points on Golden State turnovers.

The Warriors (30-19, 14-13 away from Oracle) now find themselves on the verge of a losing record on the road for the first time this season.

Golden State will face the tough Memphis Grizzlies on Friday before playing the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday to conclude the road trip. After a few days off, the Warriors will take on the Houston Rockets in a rematch next Tuesday at Oracle Arena.