The Golden State Warriors had another chance to win a dramatic, close game. And once again they failed to do that, piling another number into a losing column that quickly closes in on the winning column.

Looking for a spark – or perhaps just a match advantage – Steve Kerr once again opted for a new starting lineup, with a backcourt of Steph Curry and Dennis Schröder paired with a frontcourt of Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis and winger Andrew Wiggins.

But for the most part, the starting lineup didn’t work particularly well, as three of the five players had negative double-digit plus/minus ratings: Wiggins (-15), Jackson-Davis (-17) and Schröder (-22). .

On the other hand, Kerr’s pointed words that the team’s young players needed to be smarter, more efficient and more unselfish in deference to Curry seemed to have resonated. Jonathan Kuminga – one of two players Kerr admitted the words were primarily aimed at him – had one of his best games of the year. The fourth-year winger easily led the team with 26 points, shot 9 of 16 from the field, repeatedly got to the free throw line (where he shot 6 of 9) and grabbed eight rebounds with four assists and just under one turnover.

The other player who received Kerr’s comments, Brandin Podziemski, also took his game up a notch, with five points on four shots, six rebounds, two assists, three steals and no turnovers. Fellow junior Moses Moody returned from injury, and although he didn’t put many numbers on the stat sheet, he played well, especially on defense.

But it wasn’t enough for the Warriors on a night where Curry struggled again. While Steph dished out seven assists and had an impressive three blocks, he finished the game with just 10 points while shooting just 2 of 13 from the field and had three turnovers.

Overall, the Warriors had a much better quality of possession in this game with only 11 turnovers. But they were unable to force chances from Indy’s mistakes…while the Pacers turned the Warriors’ 11 turnovers into 13 points, Golden State scored exactly zero points from 12 Indiana giveaways.

Combined with standout performances from Myles Turner, Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton, this was enough for the Pacers to secure the win, dropping the Warriors to 15-13 and handing the Dubs their 10th loss in the last 13 games.

But we don’t have to wait long for them to try and get back in the win column as the Warriors will host the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Eve.