D'Angelo Russell exits midway through the third, as the Warriors injury woes continue in their 105-100 loss to the Boston Celtics Friday night in San Francisco.

In a game that featured the team with the best record in the league and the team with the worst record in the league, the Golden State Warriors gave the Boston Celtics all they can handle Friday night.

Despite an early exit from their all-star point guard and leading scorer, D'Angelo Russell (hand), the Dubs had every opportunity to win Friday night but were unable to seize the moment.

The Warriors rolled out their ninth different starting lineup Friday night-- featuring D'Angelo Russell, Glen Robinson III, Willey Cauley-Stein, Eric Paschall, and Draymond Green-- seeming to have found a lineup that meshed well.

The Dubs shot 64% from the field in the opening six minutes, taking an early 13-point lead. The offense-- running through Russell-- mimicked the ball movement of past Warrior teams while the team defense was on a string, forcing the Celtics into contested shots.

Despite a 58% shooting quarter, the Warriors went ended the quarter up nine after a late push by the Celtics.

Coming out of the break, the Celtics continued their push getting to the line in their first two possessions. Turnovers and empty possessions hurt the Dubs midway through the second quarter, allowing Boston to tie the game at 47 all.

From there, the game became a back and forth jump-shooting fest that ended with Boston on top by one going into the half.

Coming out of the half, the Dubs youth was on display in all the wrong ways. Bad decision making, turnovers, and lackadaisical offense led to several empty possessions that the Celtics capitalized on.

Luckily for the Dubs, basketball is a game of runs-- so just as Boston had theirs, the Dubs came back with one of their own. Bowman and Burks gave the Dubs the sparked they needed after Russell headed to the locker with a sprained right thumb that kept him out for the rest of the night. From there, the offensive load was carried by committee.

More importantly, on the defensive end, the Warriors forced the Celtics into tough shots-- going into the fourth down five.

The final period was a back and forth affair that featured ten lead changes, charges, and plays that made Stephen Curry stand and wave a towel.

With a little under three minutes left, the Warriors led by five. But if you've watched the Strength In Newbies version of the Warriors, you know that late-game execution is not their strong suit.

Missed defensive assignments, mainly leaving Kemba Walker open on the three-point line, led to a Boston 8-0 run putting the Celtics up three with under a minute left. From there, turnovers, bad shot selection, and shot-making on the other end gave the Boston Celtics their tenth straight win-- putting the Warriors at a league-low 2-11.

It's clear that the injury-stricken Dubs have been struggling with execution on both sides of the ball. Losing the Splash Brothers for the year created a hole in not only three-point shooting but floor spacing and defensive pressure. Thompson and Curry force team to defend well beyond the three-point line-- creating driving and cutting lanes for anyone with a clue of how and when to drive or cut.

More importantly, Thompson provided elite on-ball defense, while Curry's offensive prowess wore teams down throughout the course of a game. The Dubs will have to make up for the Splash Brothers by committee.

Turnovers have been an issue for the Dubs throughout the Steve Kerr-era, but in past years the margin for error was much higher than it is now. This year, and most likely years to come, the Dubs will have to rely on discipline rather than offensive firepower. Even with Curry and Thompson, the Dubs aren't the offensive juggernaut they once were. Aside from Durant, the basketball IQ of Livingston and Iguodala propelled the Warriors past their competition with ease. With Livingston retired and Iguodala being held for ransom in Memphis, the Splash Brothers will have to do more to generate points-- something they're very much capable of.

Without the champion backcourt, the Dubs will need to limit mistakes as much as possible to generate points just to compete. Kerr knows this much, saying that his squad will take their lumps plenty of times throughout the season.

And as those lumps come, it is clear that the young Dubs are improving in many facets of the game. With 14 of the 16 Warriors having some sort of injury since training camp, it wasn't a secret that the team's chemistry was going to be off. But to start the season, the effort and focus level was a huge issue-- even before Curry was injured.

Since then, the effort level has elevated, as well as the team's defensive intensity. Their rotations are quicker, at times, giving the Dubs a puncher's chance in each game. Their offense looks like an actual offense, at times, with players moving with a purpose-- something that was missing in the early on.

Individual development, or simply acclimation to NBA speed, has also been an essential factor in the Dub's improvement since opening night. Paschall, Bowman, and Robinson have found a way to affect each game in positive ways since Curry's injury.

Even with the positives, the Warriors still find themselves at the bottom of the league. The next step for the Dubs will be finishing games. Their last five losses have all come midway through the fourth quarter. Each time the Dubs looked like they were making a push, an untimely foul, or bad shot selection, gave the momentum away-- letting the game slip away too. Friday night was no different.

The next outing for the Dubs is Sunday against the Pelicans at 4 PM PT. Hopefully, the Dubs will be able to take that next step, tightening up their execution on both ends.