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DENVER — Defensive breakdowns allowed the Nuggets to shoot 48.5% from behind the 3-point arc, eight first-quarter turnovers pitted the Warriors behind, and Golden State failed to strike a rhythm in the halfcourt without superstar Steph Curry. 

But the most alarming takeaway from Friday night’s 129-104 loss to the Nuggets in Ball Arena: the Warriors’ competitive juices didn’t travel with them. 

“Just a lack of purpose and energy,” head coach Steve Kerr said postgame. “Really right from the start. Competitive fire, connection, a competitive edge. Didn’t have it.” 

The Warriors started the season 4-1 and have since gone 1-4. Their unrelenting schedule only worsens in the next two weeks. Curry — back home in the Bay with an illness — could return as soon as Sunday against Indiana, but veteran Al Horford’s sore foot that didn’t respond the way he wanted to after morning shootaround and pregame warmups is a concern. 

Shorthanded without Curry and Horford, the Warriors (5-5) needed their young core of Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, and Moses Moody to produce. They each supplied duds. 

‘It’s going to require them to play with more energy and effort,” Draymond Green said. “When you’re a young guy, you have a responsibility to bring energy. And if they do that, everything will fall into place. We know they’re more than capable of doing that.” 

Kuminga, showing signs of cooling off after his spectacular start to the season, shot 3-for-10, had multiple mental lapses, and logged a -19 plus-minus. The Warriors were outscored by 15 with Podziemski on the floor as he likewise hit 3-of-10 field goal attempts. Moody, who entered the contest shooting 51% from deep, went 1-for-9. 

“Yeah, the game didn’t go their way, but there has to be some fire in the belly to get out of a tough night,” Kerr said of the 23-and-under trio. “It’s tough as a young player when things aren’t going your way, a game’s not going your way, it’s easy to get down. And you can’t do that in this league. You have to fight and compete every second, and it didn’t feel like we did that tonight.”

Green noted that the Warriors’ energy level has been an “off and on” issue so far this season. The road trip to Milwaukee and Indiana comes to mind; the Warriors let their guard down after Giannis Antetokounmpo was scratched in the Bucks loss. Then Golden State was inexcusably out-hustled by a young, gritty, extremely short-staffed Pacers squad. 

The Denver game was their latest letdown. 

The Warriors started small, with Green at center and Moody and Kuminga manning the wings. That lineup instantly fell behind by double digits, playing without intent, throwing the ball away and losing shooters. 

A bench unit led by Pat Spencer and Quinten Post trimmed the deficit to one. 

“With Steph out, Al out, we have a lot of young guys, so it’s really on us to bring the energy,” Post said.

But then Denver embarked on a 19-2, game-breaking run — most of it with Nikola Jokic on the bench. Kuminga got caught in no-man’s land defensively, giving Christian Braun a wide open 3-pointer. Podziemski left his feet before deciding who to pass the ball to — a recipe for live-ball turnovers. Jamal Murray got hot and backup center Jonas Valanciunas connected on a pair of 3s. 

Consistent defensive breakdowns are no way to beat a team with Jokic, the best player in the world. Green was accountable for the defense’s struggles — “If our defense looks as shitty as it does, I’ve failed,” he said — which stem from leaks on the perimeter. 

Oftentimes this season, the Warriors’ point-of-attack issues have come from miscommunications. They’ve especially struggled defending guard-to-guard actions that can be deceiving. 

Green had a different diagnosis. 

“No. 1 is taking the challenge,” Green said. “Personal challenge to guard your man. Then if you get beat, there’s help. I think right now, we’re just relying on the help to be there. But when you don’t give effort, then help can’t get there. So, starts individually. Everybody must take the challenge individually of guarding your man, then you build out from there.” 

The Warriors didn’t make excuses, but a symptom of their bunched-up schedule to start the season is sluggishness. The Warriors have a back-to-back in each of their first five weeks (no other team will play more than three in that span). They play 12 of their first 17 games on the road. 

Practically every game has been a getaway day. They’re returning for one home game on Sunday against the Pacers before embarking on a 10-day, six-game trip that includes two games against the Spurs and another in the defending champion Thunder’s house. 

“Our schedule has been complete shit,” Green said. 

The grind will put even more of an emphasis on the Warriors’ youngsters. They’re at the points in their careers where they’re supposed to be ascending. The Warriors need them to be able to make life easier for Butler, Green, and Curry. 

Or else this losing slide will continue. 

“We have a vet-heavy team, and so sometimes they’re not going to have it,” Trayce Jackson-Davis said. “That’s just how it is. Us as young guys, we got to come in and bring the energy. We can’t have off nights. We’ve got to bring it every time on the floor.”