“Dub Nation is in the house,” Vice President — and Oakland native — Kamala Harris said with pride Tuesday afternoon when she introduced the 2022 NBA champions during a ceremony in the White House’s East Room.

Harris added, “On a personal note, I have been a Warriors fan my entire life, and this team has been a constant source of joy and pride, for me and for so many of us,” speaking to a crowd that included San Francisco Mayor London Breed and U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who was joined by her husband Paul, as well as Bay Area rap legends E-40, Too $hort and Mistah F.A.B.

President Joe Biden’s Administration rolled out the red carpet for the reigning NBA champions who spent about four hours at the White House in their first visit since 2016.

“The Golden State Warriors are always welcomed in this White House,” Biden said on Tuesday.

Warriors star Stephen Curry presented Biden, the nation’s 46th president, with a custom No. 46 Warriors jersey with his name emblazoned on the back. Curry suggested that Biden hang it in the Oval Office and said he’d be back next year to check.

Biden praised the Warriors for their accomplishments.

“Four NBA titles and six Finals in the last eight seasons,” he marveled. “That ain’t bad, man.”

The president also called the team’s Big Three — Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson — “something incredible” and drew parallels between the Warriors’ heart and hustle and that of the country.

“Critics wondered if this team was gone for good as a championship team,” Biden said. “And fellas, I know what it feels like. … But you never gave up, and you always believed.”

Biden also took time to acknowledge coach Steve Kerr, not only for his leadership but also for his fierce advocacy of gun control. That’s a subject particularly close to Kerr’s heart because his father was assassinated at American University of Beirut in Lebanon in 1984.

“It was incredibly flattering to hear the president introduce me and talk about my dad,” said Kerr, who, along with Thompson and Moses Moody, participated in a roundtable on gun violence with White House officials. “That’s one you write down and keep in the family history. Pretty special moment.”

Harris, discussing her “beloved” Warriors, recalled a time she diverted to BART to make sure she wasn’t late for a playoff game in Oakland after getting stuck in traffic.

Curry presented her with another custom jersey — No. 1 for being a top fan. Harris previously received a No. 49 jersey from the team upon becoming the 49th vice president.

“My pride in the Warriors today is not because they win,” Harris said, “but because these players, their coaches and this entire organization consistently stand for the principles of equity, equality and justice, which they do with great integrity and excellence.”

Before the ceremony in the East Room, Curry and Kerr addressed the media in the White House press briefing room. Curry thanked the president for his work in helping bring WNBA star Brittney Griner home from Russia, where she had been incarcerated for 10 months.

“It’s a big part of our basketball family, and it means a lot to know that she’s here and home safe with her family and all the work behind the scenes to make that a reality,” Curry said. “I just want to say thank you there.”

Although this was the Warriors’ fourth title in eight years, this is only the second trip to the White House for Golden State during the run and the first since 2016 when the 2015 title-winning team met with then-President Barack Obama.

The Warriors skipped out on the honorary visit in 2017; President Donald Trump said he never intended to invite them after Curry said the team would not accept. Instead, when the Warriors made their annual trip to play the Wizards, they took a private tour of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

With Curry and the Warriors back in the NBA Finals the following year, Trump again said he wouldn’t invite the NBA champions to the White House.

The only NFL team to attend a White House ceremony during Trump’s term, the 2017 Patriots, had several players skip the visit, and only one basketball champion — men’s and women’s college hoops, WNBA or NBA — was celebrated at the White House during the Trump era (Baylor women’s basketball in 2019).

“It’s absolutely amazing to be back after seven years,” Green said. “When you’ve accomplished that before and didn’t quite get the opportunity, it sucks. As a kid from Saginaw, Michigan, you only dream of seeing the White House, let alone having an opportunity to attend or be celebrated.”

Kerr said he was “hopeful” the Warriors could earn another trip to the White House, though they still have some glaring issues they need to figure out on the court. But the always confident Green didn’t hesitate to make a declaration.

“It’s been a very great visit,” Green said before he smirked and added, “And looking forward to coming back next year.”

But Monday afternoon was Curry’s best outing yet since returning Jan. 7.

Curry, playing in his fourth game back from a partially dislocated left shoulder, scored 41 points while taking over the last seven minutes of the game to lead Golden State to a 127-118 win over the Washington Wizards.

He knocked down a step-back 22-footer with about two minutes remaining in regulation to give the Warriors a six-point advantage after they trailed by as many as eight earlier in the quarter. Moments later, Draymond Green batted an offensive rebound out to Jordan Poole, who drained a dagger 3 to make it a nine-point advantage.

Ballgame.

Curry scored 12 of his game-high 41 in the final seven minutes and finished with 12 of 28 shooting, drilling six shots from beyond the arc. He also tallied seven rebounds and two assists while playing about 38 minutes.

“Everybody had to be aggressive but for me, it was another step in the direction of getting back to myself after the injury,” Curry said after the win.

Coach Steve Kerr agreed.

“We have seen him over the last few games since he’s been back, kind of take steps,” Kerr said of Curry. “Even tonight, he was struggling early on, closed the first quarter with a flurry, and then second quarter kind of struggled, looked a little bit tired to me. I don’t think he looked like he was looking three weeks ago before the injury but you can see him breaking through barriers.”

The Wizards had no answers for the Warriors down the stretch. Even the home crowd was strongly favoring the visitors to win.

Fans seem to loudly cheer for Curry’s every move, especially in the fourth. A chorus of “M-V-P” chants erupted for Curry as he stepped up to the foul line with 28 seconds left.

After the game, Kerr lauded Curry as a “modern MJ” who draws a crowd every town the Warriors’ circus stops in.

“I used to see this playing with the Bulls. Half the crowd’s got red No. 23 jerseys on and now half the crowd’s got blue-and-yellow 30 jerseys,” Kerr said. “Steph transcends the game, he elicits an emotion from people I think because he’s so awe inspiring with his play that no matter where we go, there are people who are cheering for him and can’t wait to see him perform. Because we’ve never seen anything like him.”

OK but not all in Capital One Arena were riding the Warriors’ wagon.

A pair of chirping fans sitting on the sidelines near the Warriors’ bench had been running their mouths all afternoon. One particularly got under Green’s skin when he questioned the four-time champion’s future Hall of Fame credentials.

“He was talking from the start of the game until I shut him up,” Green said. “I appreciate it though because I had nothing, I had nothing going. I couldn’t find it, wasn’t about to find it. And then shoutout to them … They got me going.”

Green tallied 11 points, four assists and two rebounds in the fourth quarter. He took advantage of the attention Curry was getting from Wizards defenders and went a perfect 4-for-4 from the field, knocking down a pair of threes in the process.

While Curry and Green carried the Warriors to the finish line, Poole helped them build a 69-64 halftime lead. Poole scored 23 of his 32 points in the second quarter, going 4-for-6 from deep.

The Wizards are now 18-26 on the season and remain outside the playoff picture. Still, Kerr considered Monday a “big win” for Golden State, which was playing with a depleted frontcourt and missing Klay Thompson (injury management.)

“We know we got a really tough back-to-back coming up to finish this trip out and this was a difficult back-to-back for us, too, just with two straight day games with travel in between. Our guys really exerted themselves,” Kerr said. “Would’ve been a shame to waste that with a loss so it felt like we were rewarded for the effort that the guys gave.”

The Warriors will have two days off before starting their next back-to-back, which features stops in Boston Thursday and Cleveland Friday. Golden State will spend Tuesday afternoon at the White House, where the team will be honored for its 2022 NBA title and meet President Joe Biden.

“I wish I had the answer for you,” Draymond Green said after the Bulls handed the Warriors a 132-118 loss to kick them back below .500 on the season. “It’s ringing in my head probably the same way it’s ringing in yours. I don’t know.”

But there’s been one noticeable trend with this struggling Golden State team beyond the frustrating turnovers and defensive mishaps.

“There has to be a sense of urgency, right? But I don’t think we’re playing that way,” Green said. “You hope that a sense of urgency is there, and you play like a team that has something to prove, and that wants to get better and (is) embracing the process of getting better.”

The Warriors have put on strong showings at home and were also coming off a dominant blowout win over the Spurs Friday night in front of a record-setting crowd in San Antonio. But Green thinks the team needs to play with more desperation on a consistent basis.

“If you don’t have a consistent sense of urgency in this league you’re going to lose. If you’re good enough, then you’ll be a .500 team without the sense of urgency,” Green said. “So that’s where we are, like we’re good enough with no sense of urgency so we sit around .500.”

How do they channel that sense of urgency?

“That’s what we got to figure out,” Green said.

But even with so many question marks surrounding this inconsistent Warriors team, Klay Thompson said he had “zero” level of concern for the defending champs, who are 21-22 on the season and in eighth place in the Western Conference standings.

“Just get us there healthy in one piece, hopefully with a decent seed,” Thompson said.

Sure, the Warriors deserve some benefit of the doubt. They have four guys in the locker room who’ve won four championships, another who has won three and all but four on the team have glitzy rings for winning an NBA title.

But Stephen Curry acknowledged that the Warriors can’t just cruise through the regular season before turning it up a notch in the playoffs.

“We always say every year presents a different challenge,” Curry said. “Last year we started 18-2 and then we had some rough patches but at least we had a segment of the season where we could say we had figured it out. We might’ve had a game or two but we have not had a stretch where we consistently can … say we figured it out.”

The Warriors displayed some of their bad, ugly habits Sunday afternoon. Too many turnovers, not enough stops. Have you heard this story before?

Any time the Warriors seemed to pick up some momentum, they found ways to extinguish it. They were sloppy with the ball, turning it over more times in the first quarter (six) than the entire first half of their blowout win over the Spurs Friday (five.) Golden State committed 23 turnovers, which the Bulls, who were without DeMar DeRozan, turned into 31 points. The home team also took 12 more shots than the Warriors.

Defensively, the Warriors were out of sorts. Nikola Vucevic gave Golden State trouble all night on his way to finishing with a career-best 43 points on 18 of 21 shooting and 5 of 10 from 3-point land. The Bulls big man also grabbed 13 rebounds and had four assists to help Chicago snap a three-game losing skid and earn its first win over the Warriors since 2017.

Thompson suggested a lack of focus could be part of the Warriors’ problem. But he’s not sure why the team allows that to be an issue on the road, where it is 4-17.

“I don’t know,” Thompson said. “It’s hard, man. It’s a hard business.”

Even still, Thompson’s belief in this team remains high. He said there’s nothing to be worried about with the Warriors at this point.

“I’ve been in the league for a long time, I have all the confidence in the world in this team. I’m not going to be concerned,” he said. “I know we’ll right the ship, I know it in my heart.”

The Warriors will have a quick turnaround, playing in Washington D.C. Monday, less than 24 hours after the final horn in Chicago.

He responded well in his first 54 minutes of action over the course of the first two games — so much so that the minutes restriction he was under has been lifted. He should be good to go to play Monday in Washington D.C., the latter part of a back-to-back, coach Steve Kerr said pregame Sunday.

The same can’t be said for Klay Thompson, though.

Thompson hasn’t played in both nights of a back-to-back since he returned about midway through last season after suffering two major leg injuries. The hope is that soon should change, but it won’t be on this current five-game road trip, which includes two sets of back-to-backs.

Soreness in Thompson’s left knee sidelined him for the Warriors’ Jan. 7 loss to the Orlando Magic. While Kerr said the pain in his surgically repaired knee wasn’t a long-term concern, it’s not worth pushing Thompson to play games on consecutive nights.

“We’re going to continue to be cautious with Klay but you never know how these games are going to go,” Kerr said. “And last game, both Steph and Klay, played about 22, 23 minutes, and that helped matters in terms of how it informs us for the rest of the trip but just gotta kind of wait and see after each game.”

Kerr previously said there’s not a specific science or formula to determine when Thompson could be ready to play in games on consecutive nights.

“We’re still working towards that,” Kerr said.

Sunday marked the start of the Warriors’ ninth set of back-to-backs this season. They have six more remaining.

Latest on Andre Iguodala

Andre Iguodala sat out Sunday’s game in Chicago after he walked away from the Warriors’ last game with hip soreness.

Iguodala, who turns 39 in two weeks, is considered day-to-day and could miss Monday’s game, according to Kerr.

Iguodala averaged 2.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 14 minutes over his first three games since making his debut earlier this month. During that span, he threw down a pair of dunks and appeared to wobble away from the most recent one during the blowout win over the Spurs Friday.

Asked whether he’s going to tell Iguodala to stop dunking, Kerr joked, “Yep, that was my secret so I stayed healthy.”

Jonathan Kuminga (sprained right foot), James Wiseman (sprained left ankle) and JaMychal Green (infection) also didn’t suit up in Chicago. The trio continues to make progress, but Kerr doesn’t have a timeline for their returns.

Kerr’s return to Chicago

Kerr’s go-to spot in Chicago when he has an off night in Chicago is Second City, a comedy club on the city’s north side. But on Saturday, Kerr and several other Warriors staffers spent their evening taking in a junior hockey game.

Kerr joined Dr. Rick Celebrini, the team’s director of sports medicine and performance, at a USHL game Saturday night in Geneva to support Celebrini’s 16-year-old son. Draymond Green and assistant coach Jama Mahlalela were also among the group who made the treck to the western suburb to support Macklin Celebrini, a star center on the Chicago Steel who’s signed to play next season for Boston University.

The Steel fell 4-2 to the Madison Capitols but it still made for a memorable night.

“It was fantastic,” Kerr said. “It’s always fun coming back here.”

In an interview with Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks, Green volunteered that a day would come when he’s not playing for the Warriors.

“The writing’s on the wall,” the four-time NBA champion said.

Green, 32, discussed several other topics throughout the interview, including how his preseason punch of Jordan Poole altered their once brotherly-like relationship. But when it comes to his future with the team that took a chance on him, picking him in the second round of the 2012 NBA draft out of Michigan State, Green said he understands the business of the league.

He said he would “love” to end his career with the Warriors, but their massive luxury tax bill makes it nearly impossible for them to continue to dish out even money.

“We tend to get into this someone owes us something because of what we’ve accomplished. You’d be an idiot to walk around feeling that way,” Green said. “I feel like you’re just setting yourself up for failure, you’re setting yourself up for heartbreak, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.

“I understand the luxury tax, I understand you’ve got these young guys and contracts up and they have to be paid, I understand all those things and so just for me that’s what I mean by the writing’s on the wall.”

Green has a player option for next season worth $27.6 million. That means, barring a trade, he could have at least one last season with the Warriors if he decides to opt in. If not, he could be an unrestricted free agent as soon as next summer.

He’s pulled players aside countless times during games to correct their mistakes, offer guidance and help build up their confidence. One notable example is the way he helped Jonathan Kuminga get through a rough patch at the start of the season where the 20-year-old was out of the rotation before earning his spot by locking in on the defensive end of the ball.

But the Warriors knew once Iguodala was ready to play that he could still contribute at a high level as long as he stayed healthy.

And that’s been the case through his first three games of the season. Sure, Iguodala had some dust to brush off after not playing an NBA game in seven months. But he made his presence known, especially in Friday’s 144-113 rout over the San Antonio Spurs.

Part of what makes Iguodala so valuable is his ability to fit seamlessly wherever he’s needed. And right now, the greatest need is having him help shore up the frontcourt depth which has thinned over the last month due to injuries to Kuminga, James Wiseman and JaMychal Green.

Iguodala has been the first player on the bench for the Warriors in the last three games, subbing in for Kevon Looney. He won’t play Sunday in Chicago, though, missing the game with hip soreness. He will be replaced on the roster by Patrick Baldwin Jr.

“Right now, he’s our third big,” Kerr said Friday night of Iduodala after the Warriors thrashed the Spurs in front of a record-setting crowd of 68,323 at the Alamodome. . “I don’t know that that will continue to be the rotation pattern. We like to have Loon or Draymond [Green] on the floor at all times. So Andre is coming in for Loon early, play the four with Draymond at the five. Then Loon comes back for Draymond and Andre stays in that lineup and plays with Loon.”

Iguodala knocked down a 3 to keep the Spurs defense honest in the first quarter. Later in the fourth, Iguodala soared to the basket for his second dunk since his season debut Jan. 7 — not bad for a guy who’s turning 39 in two weeks.

Iguodala’s impact often doesn’t show in the box score, but he makes his presence known every time he steps on the court.

“He’s playing well, he’s moving well,” Draymond Green said. “Obviously, he’s always one of the smartest guys if not the smartest guy on the floor so it makes it easier on the floor when you have the chance to play with Andre.”

The Warriors outscored the Spurs by 12 when Iguodala checked in for his six-minute spurt in the third quarter. During that span, Iguodala blocked Jeremy Sochan’s shot and grabbed two rebounds.

“He just knows how to play basketball and when we’re in sync, he’s always in the right spot moving the ball,” Curry said. His “defensive presence is huge, you can fit pretty much any four guys around him and we can play a high level of basketball.”

Green weighs future

Draymond Green got real this week about his future with the Warriors.

In a recent interview with Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks, Green admitted a day would come where he’s not playing for the Warriors.

“The writing’s on the wall,” the four-time NBA champion said.

Green discussed several other topics throughout the interview, including how his preseason punch of Jordan Poole altered their once brotherly-like relationship. But when it comes to his future with the team that took a chance on him, picking him in the second round of the 2012 NBA draft out of Michigan State, Green said he understands the business of the league.

Of course, he said he would “love” to end his career with the Warriors, but their massive luxury tax bill makes it nearly impossible for them to continue to dish out even money.

“We tend to get into this someone owes us something because of what we’ve accomplished. You’d be an idiot to walk around feeling that way,” Green said. “I feel like you’re just setting yourself up for failure, you’re setting yourself up for heartbreak, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.

“I understand the luxury tax, I understand you’ve got these young guys and contractus up and they have to be paid, I understand all those things and so just for me that’s what I mean by the writing’s on the wall.”

Green has a player option for next season worth $27.6 million. That means, barring a trade, he could have at least one last season with the Warriors if he decides to opt in. If not, he could be an unrestricted free agent as soon as next summer.

For starters, they were on a three-game losing streak heading into Friday night’s game against the San Antonio Spurs. Then, Stephen Curry called for the team to “embrace the embarrassment” of its 3-16 away record looming over its heads after an underwhelming first half of the regular season.

But Friday night gave them a chance to put their best foot forward while playing in front of the largest crowd of their NBA careers. And that’s exactly what Golden State did as it turned out its most balanced and dominant performance of the season, thumping the Spurs 144-113 before a record-breaking crowd of 68,323 at the Alamodome.

“It was special from the jump, the long walk from tunnel to get out to the court, fans lining the route to get out there… we came to practice [Thursday] and you can feel how big the dome is and there was excitement about what it would feel like with that many people and it delivered,” said Curry, who stayed behind after the game to sign autographs for fans. “It was awesome to experience, and takes 64,000 to bring our best road performance.”

The game started with tens of thousands of fans giving former Spurs player and assistant coach Steve Kerr a standing ovation ahead of tip-off, a moving moment that reminded him of what his San Antonio chapters meant to him and his family. Several more notable Spurs legends were honored throughout the night, which was put on in celebration of the franchise’s 50th NBA season.

The crowd was loud and engaged throughout the night, with chants echoing through the air. Some boos would morph into woos as both fanbases came in droves to eclipse the previous record of 62,046 set back in 1998 when Michal Jordan and the Bulls played the Hawks in the Georgia Dome. Draymond Green compared the environment to playing in the Final Four. Donte DiVincenzo, who had his biggest game of his college career and won a NCAA championship in this same arena nearly five years ago, called it a “surreal” experience.

“When you’re playing in a national championship and you’re playing here, you don’t think about being able to play there again so to be able to play in this building twice – one in college, one in the pros – is definitely an experience that I’ll definitely cherish for awhile,” he said.

The views varied based on where you were seated. From the nosebleed section up top, the players looked like ants running all around the court searching for cookie crumbs. But from the lower levels and courtside, the Warriors looked like bullies teaching the young Spurs a lesson.

Golden State moved the ball well from the start, recording 19 of their 33 assists in the first half. An equal-opportunity attack on offense led eight Warriors players finishing with 12 or more points in what was their highest scoring game of the season.

Jordan Poole led with 25 points and DiVincenzo added 22. Meanwhile, Kevon Looney recorded another double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Curry, who had 15 points, could tell the team was going to have a strong offensive night because of how “organized” it felt out of the gates. Andre Iguodala, playing in his third game this season, plays a big part in bringing order to the court for the Warriors.

Kerr deployed Iguodala in the four spot as the Warriors are thin on frontcourt depth with Jonathan Kuminga, James Wiseman and JaMychal Green on the mend from injuries.

“Whatever lineup he’s out there with he makes better,” Kerr said of Iguodala.

The Warriors ran into their usual foul trouble, sending the Spurs to the line 20 times in the first half and another 14 in the second.

“That’s what kept the Spurs in the game,” Kerr said. “They were coming downhill at us, we just made too many poor decisions defensively, or too many reaches and that’s something we have to continue to harp and improve on.”

All in all, though, it was a good night for the Warriors and exactly the type of win they needed to open their five-game road trip as they try to change the narrative around their performances away from Chase Center. Golden State is now 4-16 on the road and 21-21 on the season, with four more games to go before they head back to the Bay.

There are plenty of challenges that lie ahead for Golden State. Two of its next four opponents have winning records, and the Bulls, whom the Warriors play next, have routinely stepped up for big games against some of the league’s best teams.

“We wanted to get off to a good start with the whole road trip,” Curry said. “We got four games to hopefully maintain it. So a very inspiring night I’d say just that we can get to that level. I don’t know the last time we had starters sit in the fourth quarter.”

Golden State will play the Bulls and Washington Wizards on back-to-back matinees Sunday and Monday. The team will celebrate their 2022 title one last time with a visit to the White House to meet President Joe Biden.

The Warriors will then return to the parquet floor at TD Garden where they won their title this summer before ending the trip in Cleveland next Friday.

DiVincenzo and Poole returned to the scene this week along with the rest of the Warriors, who are set to make history Friday evening when they play the San Antonio Spurs in front of what’s anticipated to be a record-setting crowd in honor of the Spurs’ 50th season. More than 63,000 tickets have been sold, and with a healthy standing-room-only crowd expected the attendance could reach nearly 68,000.

It made for a timely opportunity for DiVincenzo to relish and reminisce on that title game, while also having some fun at the expense of his former foe and now teammate.

“Every time the coaches asked if we played here or not, I just always say, ‘Ask Jordan,’” DiVincenzo said.

The jokes didn’t stop there. DiVincenzo knew exactly what he was doing when he turned to Poole and posed a question in the Warriors’ locker room ahead of Thursday’s practice.

“I actually already knew the answer,” DiVincenzo said. “I was like, ‘Did y’all stay in this locker room?’ And he was like, ‘Man, I ain’t talking to you today.’”

DiVincenzo believes that title game put him on the map for that year’s NBA draft. He gave the spectators a show against the Wolverines, winking at broadcasters, dribbling behind his back and knocking down five 3s.

By the time he was done, DiVincenzo scored 31 points, the most by a player off the bench in a Final Four game ever, to go with his five rebounds, three assists and two blocks as he led the Wildcats to a title, sending Poole’s team back home empty handed.

DiVincenzo couldn’t recall specific interactions with Poole during the game.

“I was worried about shooting too much than playing defense,” he said.

DiVincenzo finished 10-for-15 from the field and 5-for-7 from 3-point land. It was no question that his flashy performance was enough to earn him the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player. It also got him on the NBA team’s radar ahead of the combine.

A feeling of nostalgia overcame DiVincenzo when he walked down the hallway toward the court, which was positioned at the center of the dome’s gigantic open floor to maximize seating. Afterall, he said, the run through the tunnel to get to the court was one of his favorite memories.

“Everything was super cool,” DiVincenzo recalled. “When we were walking out here, JP and I were both walking out here and we were both saying the same thing about how… the run is so long and you’re super tired when you get to the court. But it’s something that both of us definitely remember.”

Target practice

Stephen Curry said it doesn’t take too long as a shooter to recalibrate to the vastly larger arena, though he acknowledged the depth perception can be off at first.

The Warriors got some work in Thursday to help them get used to sight lines and get acquainted with the unique setup.

“It’s a little different than I expected,’ Curry said.

Curry, like several other Warriors players, has past experience playing in a dome-like setting. He played at Ford Field during Davidson College’s Elite 8 run in 2008.

Despite having played at the Alamodome for three seasons during his time with the San Antonio Spurs, coach Steve Kerr didn’t have much advice for his players. The setup this time around is different. Back in the 90s and early 2000s, when the Spurs called the Alamodome home, the court was positioned in the corner and there was a curtain and bleachers.

“This is pretty unique,” Kerr said. That’s why he felt practice was necessary.

“We just wanted them to get a lot of shots up and feel the arena, feel the backdrop and get used to it for” Friday, he said.

That might’ve come this week.

The Warriors closed out the first half of the season with about 12 minutes-worth of momentum. After trailing by 27 points in the third quarter Tuesday against the star-less Phoenix Suns, the Warriors found life in the fourth on both ends of the floor. They were aggressive and disruptive on defense, forcing the Suns into 12 turnovers in the final frame.

“Hopefully this is the jolt that we need to get ourselves going because it’s been this first half of the season has been full of stops and starts,” Kerr said after the loss.

This upcoming road trip will show whether that lesson sticks.

The Warriors survived 11 games without Stephen Curry, going 6-5 over that stretch. But now, with him and Andrew Wiggins back along with Andre Iguodala also being mixed into the fold, Golden State needs to get the ball rolling.

That’ll have to start Friday on the road, a place where wins have been as hard to find as a TV remote in a couch cushion.

While the Warriors 20-21 record appears balanced, the home-and-away splits are about as lopsided as they could be. Golden State is 17-5 at Chase Center this season, but league-worst 3-16 away. That’s a .615 differential between the Warriors’ home and road winning percentage, which would be the third-largest differential in league history if the season ended today.

It’s a head-scratching discrepancy. The Warriors have typically been a strong road team during this golden era of championships (the two down seasons aside.) But it’s been a totally different story this season.

A lack of a consistent identity, devotion to defense and not enough mental fortitude are part of the reasons why they’ve struggled, and that has to change if they want to start making headway in the standings.

The Warriors showed progress at the beginning of their most recent homestand, which they opened with five straight wins without Curry and Wiggins before dropping the last three games. Golden State showed another level of grittiness; the team was locked in and played together as they scratched and clawed their way to victories.

“We have to be honest with ourselves about the details [of] what makes a winning team [and] remind ourselves what that is and hold ourselves to that standard,” Curry said.

That starts on defense. Golden State was one of the hottest teams in the NBA at the beginning of last season because of its relentless, team-approach to that side of the ball. But the commitment and cohesion on defense hasn’t always been there this season.

The Warriors post the fourth-best defensive rating in the league in the Bay, but there’s a major drop off once they head out of town. Their 120.1 defensive rating on the road is the second-worst in the NBA, behind only the Spurs. The reigning champs are also surrendering a league-high 123.8 points per away game.

The Warriors will play five games in the next eight days, which includes two consecutive sets of back-to-backs that are separated by two off days that will include a trip to the White House. They’ll start in San Antonio, where they could be part of history with the Spurs set to break the league’s single-game attendance record at the Alamodome, which can seat more than 64,000.

The 13-29 San Antonio Spurs are a team the Warriors should beat on paper — they cruised to a 37-point victory over Gregg Popovich’s squad in November — but it wouldn’t be the first time this season Golden State blew a game it should’ve won against a low-grade opponent, especially on the road.

After that, they’ll play the Chicago Bulls on Sunday, Washington Wizards on Monday, Boston Celtics on Thursday and Cleveland Cavaliers next Friday.

It would be beneficial if the Warriors could get at least one of their three injured frontcourt pieces back at some point during this road trip to partially relieve workhorses Draymond Green and Kevon Looney, but nothing is guaranteed. Jonathan Kuminga (sprained right foot), James Wiseman (sprained left ankle) and JaMychal Green (infection) were all ruled out for Friday.

Curry has faith the Warriors can flip the script on their road woes over the next week as long as they use the end of their last game as a springboard heading into this business trip.

“We all kind of found our rhythm throughout that fourth quarter stretch that we can hopefully bottle up and take on the road with us,” Curry said. “We have to play desperate on the road to beat the teams that are coming up on the schedule and again, rectify the way that we’ve been playing throughout the season on the road.”

Stephen Curry finally made his return to game action after a month-long absence from a shoulder injury. It came on the heels of Andrew Wiggins return from a 15-game hiatus Saturday.

But the Warriors inching closer to full strength didn’t prevent them from underestimating the star-less Suns, resulting in a 125-113 defeat that put the defending champs one game below .500 at the halfway point of the season.

Curry exhibited some of the same rust Wiggins is trying to shake after missing an extended period of time due to injuries. The two-time league MVP got off to a slow start, which was somewhat to be expected after being out 11 games due to a partially dislocated left shoulder. He scored only eight points in the first three quarters before popping off for 16 in the fourth.

“I felt like I got stronger as the game went on, which is exciting knowing the body will respond,” said Curry, who finished with 24 points in 31 minutes. “Going to come on this road trip and be able to continue to build my endurance back to where it was before the injury.”

Curry, who was under a minutes restriction, didn’t feel hampered by his injury to his non-dominant shoulder. He said he had to get to a point during the ramp up process where he could trust it and not think about it while going through the motions.

But even with Curry back, the Warriors were out of sync for most of the game, a common theme of this season. They suffered offensive lulls and defensive lapses that allowed the Suns to go on runs, including a 10-0 dash at the end of the first quarter.

The Suns had the Warriors’ number in their first two meetings earlier this season, both in Phoenix. And despite playing without Devin Booker, Cam Johnson, Cameron Payne and Deandre Ayton, Tuesday was looking like it’d be no different for the Suns, who had lost seven straight games. They led by by 14 at the half and pulled away by as many as 27 points in the third.

After a lethargic first three quarters of the game, though, the Warriors turned on the jets in the fourth quarter, putting together their most aggressive defensive effort of the night. That energy, paired with the combined offensive forces of Curry and Jordan Poole, got the Warriors back into the game.

Golden State entered the fourth trailing 98-79. But Wiggins started to show shades of his pre-injured self on defense, and Andre Iguodala helped connect the group on both ends of the floor before he was ejected with 4:30 left for unsportsmanlike conduct in his second game of the season. Meanwhile, Poole and Curry took care of the scoring, going a combined 29 points in the final 12 minutes, which was two points more than the entire Phoenix team in that frame.

Golden State turned back-to-back Suns’ turnovers into a quick five points by Poole with under two minutes left. His 3 at the 1:28 mark pulled the Warriors within six points, the closest they had been since early in the second quarter.

Curry fouled former Warriors guard and his brother-in-law Damion Lee twice in a row, sending him to the line for four of the Suns’ 12 fourth-quarter free throws.

The Warriors were within six with a minute left thanks to a Poole dunk, but that was it.

Poole might’ve had a quiet start to his first game coming off the bench since Dec. 2, but he finished strong, scoring 25 of his 27 points in the second half. Klay Thompson led the Warriors in scoring with 29 points, including 14 in the opening frame. But the Warriors got it going too late and ultimately lost their third straight game.

Kerr took responsibility for the team lacking energy in the first three quarters before it kicked it into high gear in the final frame.

“I clearly didn’t have our guys ready to play and that’s my fault,” he said. “I’ve got to do a better job of giving them the slap in the face that Phoenix gave us in the first quarter. These games… always go like this. A team’s got a bunch of starters out and then all the guys who normally don’t play much, they can’t wait to get out there. A guy like [Dario] Saric comes out and just kicks out butt.

“There are no easy days in the league. So I think the combination of that dynamic and then us getting some guys back and trying to find our rhythm, it really got us off to a slow start but I did like the fact we competed in that fourth quarter and fought like crazy.”

The 20-21 Warriors will hit the road for a five-game road trip, which will kickoff Friday in San Antonio.