If victory heals everything, defeat exposes the gaps in your foundation.

After Saturday night’s 113-105 road loss to the Phoenix Suns, the Warriors have now lost four games in a row and have moved from first place in the Western Conference to fourth place with a record of 12-7. It seems that changes are coming.

Steve Kerr’s grand experiment to test Golden State’s strength was anything but the norm for an NBA team. Suns coach Mike Budenholzer used four players from the bench against the Warriors, each of whom had at least 15 minutes of playing time. It gave them rhythm without having to look over their shoulder at the next man on the bench ready to step in for them at the next whistle, and it showed.

Oso Ighodaro played 31 minutes and was a plus-14 with six points on 3-of-4 shooting, eight rebounds and two blocks. Ryan Dunn, plus-8, also had two blocks in 20 minutes, plus two points, four rebounds and two assists . The scoring the Suns needed off the bench came from Royce O’Neale and Monte Morris.

O’Neale, plus-15, scored 11 points in 19 minutes, going 4 of 6 from the field and 3 of 4 on 3-pointers. Morris had the least playing time for the Suns’ reserves, playing 15 minutes but scoring eight points on 3 of 5 shooting and was 2 of 3 from distance. He was a plus-9 and added five rebounds, three assists and a steal.

The only Warrior with a positive plus/minus off the bench was Kevon Looney, who posted a plus/1 in 16 minutes.

“Sometimes it can be hard to find a rhythm when you don’t know what to expect from game to game,” Looney told reporters in Phoenix. “But I think the guys are doing a good job of staying ready. Everyone knows he’ll get in at some point. … I think with this group, we know he’s going to play all of us at some point, and we’ve just got to be ready at that point to have a spark and energy and make plays.

“I think that’s what we did for the most part, but when we lose you try to find a reason for the loss and you get a little frustrated, but I think the group stays positive and everyone takes advantage of their opportunities .”

However, the chances in the Warriors’ squad could gradually diminish.

Although De’Anthony Melton was out for the rest of the season and the Warriors started the game slowly in Phoenix, Kerr used 11 players in the first quarter alone. 14 players saw the field in the first half. But there were changes before and during the game.

“Yeah, we need to think about shortening it,” Kerr said of his deep rotation. “We’ve really looked at the combinations we play from game to game and we have a lot of options. That’s not always easy. Sometimes you have too many options. …It gets harder the more people you play.

“If we make cuts, we will talk about it in the next few days. If we do that, we do it, but over the course of an NBA season things always get better.”

Neither Moses Moody nor Kyle Anderson received minutes in the second half against the Suns. Kevon Looney opened the second half at center in place of Trayce Jackson-Davis, and Brandin Podziemski, making multiple three-pointers for the first time in exactly a month, started the game alongside Steph Curry in the backcourt.

When the Warriors started the season 12-3, their bench was underwhelming, averaging 54.2 points per game. But over the course of their four-game losing streak, they have averaged 40 points per game.

In addition to Steph Curry and Draymond Green, Kerr also wants to get more minutes for Jonathan Kuminga. Kuminga didn’t make any of his five shots in the first half and was 0 of 7 through three quarters. Then, when Kerr went small and Kuminga played alongside Green in the fourth quarter, he shot at the rim four times, nearly helping the Warriors to a comeback- helped win.

Strength in numbers is the Warriors’ philosophy as their roster has been assembled despite their offseason attempt to find another star alongside Curry. There are a number of positives that have come with so many people taking advantage and taking advantage of their opportunities. Now that things are going wrong, the complications have come into the spotlight.

“Everyone has to be ready for what’s asked of them, and when you’re not playing you have to stay alert,” Curry said. “It’s hard as hell, there’s no way around it.”

Does the rotation need to be shortened? Curry can’t say that, but even he can’t ignore the difficult situations it puts players in.

“The only thing I want to say is that it is difficult for anyone to find a rhythm and know what is required of you. … We’re a unique team, it’s a unique situation. I don’t think that’s ever happened in the league. It’s an 82-game schedule and you have to figure out what adjustments need to be made. We probably need to be a little more predictable from night to night so the guys can find a little better rhythm. Is that a reduction of one or two people?

“Perhaps.”

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