SAN FRANCISCO – Just playing fast is no longer enough in today’s NBA, playing at a brisk pace now the default.

With players skewing more and more athletic, and as long-distance shooting stretches defenses to their limit, offenses are pushing the limit on how fast they can play.

Twenty-two teams are playing with a pace rating of at least 100, up from 14 a year ago. It is a trend Warriors coach Steve Kerr, whose team is among that group but sits 19th through seven games, knows well.

“What I’m seeing is that teams are spreading you out, playing as fast as possible and making it difficult to get to your coverages defensively,” Kerr said. “The faster the actions, the more difficult it is for the defense to respond.”

Golden State entered its home matchup with the Suns as losers of two consec

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