The Hornets are doing everything they can to capture the Flagg, who is projected to be the No. 1 pick out of Duke.
Like when they were little kids in the backyard playing ball for much lower steaks, Steph Curry jumped up and down in front of his seat on the Warriors’ bench early in the first quarter, playfully teasing his younger brother Seth for missing a technical free throw. What is really ironic is how much the Warriors’ attitude and outlook has changed since acquiring Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline from the Miami Heat.
Had the Warriors stayed on their pre-Butler trajectory, Tuesday’s matchup against the Hornets may have only been worthwhile because of the team’s abbreviated halftime ceremony for the tenth anniversary of the 2015 championship team. Instead, it was the seventh game with Butler in the mix, and their sixth win.
Against a Hornets roster, who is one of the laughing stocks of the NBA, the Warriors (31-27) cruised to a 36-point trouncing, 128-92. They were able to rest their veteran big three, Curry, Butler, and Draymond Green in the fourth quarter, giving them the luxury of watching a blowout from the bench for a second straight game.
KJ Simpson had 16 points and six rebounds and Seth Curry added 14 points for Charlotte, which played without guard LaMelo Ball. Ball (illness, sore ankle) was ruled out prior to the start of the game. That made the Hornets’ uphill battle all the more daunting.
The Hornets were careless with the rock, committing 24 turnovers that led to 37 points. It was the eighth time this season that the Hornets have had at least 20 turnovers in a game.
Butler has brought new life and energy to the Warriors. Before he came along, there was no such thing as an easy win, no matter the schedule disadvantage or the opponent. Now they are not just beating teams, they are creaming them. In seven games with Butler, the Warriors have now outscored their opposition by a total of 122 points. And he has not even shot the ball efficiently as he still finding his rhythm and footing.
“A lot,” Butler said when asked how much fun he’s having. “I really enjoy being in this locker room, being around these guys. Obviously, it’s fun to win. I get to be myself every possession, on and off the court.”
The Warriors were stifling defensively, holding the Hornets to 53 points on 31% shooting and forcing 18 turnovers before the 16-minutes of garbage time. Butler and Green especially wreaked havoc, communicating and blowing up Charlotte actions on the back end.
The Warriors stated mission of the sixth seed is well within their grasp. During the All-Star break just a week and a half ago, their odds of making it happen hovered around 6%, according to Basketball Reference. They have since roughly quadrupled. They are now less than a game behind the Los Angeles Clippers for sixth and have slid past the Dallas Mavericks into eighth place in a jumbled Western Conference. Coach Steve Kerr sarcastically pumped his fists when notified of their eighth-place status at the postgame podium.
The 14-win Hornets were without their two best players, Ball and Brandon Miller, nor rotation mainstays Grant Williams, Tidjane Salaun, Tre Mann, and Josh Okogie. They were on the second night of a back-to-back, serving a win on a platter for the Warriors.
“We did what we were supposed to do tonight,” Kerr said.
The four-time champions put a new wrinkle in their defensive scheme, testing out a trick 1-3-1 zone defense look they have used sparingly over the years, though one that Butler’s Heat teams went to often. Nothing about the Hornets roster obviously stands out to warrant a zone, so perhaps the Warriors were just using the game as an opportunity to take the scheme for a spin.
Even though Butler did not shoot the ball well, he collected eight rebounds and got his teammates involved with five assists. He also served as their playmaker in the minutes Curry was taking a break, giving the two-time MVP a sense of relief as he watched from the sidelines.
Embed from Getty ImagesGary Payton II made a nice contribution off the bench, scoring 11 points in his first 11 minutes. He and Green connected on a pair of sweet interior passing combinations for dunks, extending Golden State’s first-half lead to 19. A Moses Moody 3-pointer in the corner on a perfectly executed side-out-of-bounds play gave them a 56-41 lead entering halftime.
Green put the Warriors back up 20 with a one-handed jam off a feed from Butler. Then he returned the favor, dishing a bounce pass to Butler for another bucket.
Butler has provided the Warriors with confidence throughout the roster. He has slotted role players like Brandin Podziemski and Moody into positions where they can be successful, while completely reenergizing Curry and Green. The big man in particular has been playing with impressive tenacity as he tries to make good on his championship declaration.
“I don’t see why we can’t win every single game,” Butler said. “I don’t know if that will happen. But to the best of my ability and our abilities, that’s what we’re going to try to do.”
The Warriors started the second half on a 17-5 surge. With members of the first championship team in the building, so was their patented third-quarter dominance.
Curry received sparse “M-V-P” chants as he stepped up to the foul line for a technical free throw. Unlike his brother, he sank it. As if he needed more bragging rights over little bro.
The Hornets finally wrap up a nine-game road trip against Kyrie Irving and the Mavericks in Dallas on Thursday night.
The Warriors begin a five-game road trip on Monday night against Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic.
