The last time Stephen Curry saw the Los Angeles Lakers, he jacked up 35 shots. Not because he wanted to but because he justifiably felt his scoring gave the Warriors their best chance of winning. His solo errand ended in defeat.
The first time Curry faced the Lakers this season, on Christmas Day, he scored 38 points, 13 in the final three minutes, including a game-tying 3-pointer with 7.6 seconds left. Six seconds later, Lakers guard Austin Reaves slashed in for the game-winning layup.
Those were the Warriors of another era. Or so it seems. The arrival of Jimmy Butler III has added dimension and altered their outlook. Golden State, 0-3 against LA this season, has an opportunity to validate its resurgence Thursday, when they face the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.
“Completely different team,” coach Steve Kerr told reporters Tuesday night in Memphis. “Jimmy saved our season. The trade saved our season.”
Curry has averaged 31.8 points over his last 10 regular-season games against LA, and the Warriors won only three of those games. Butler during that time was with the Miami Heat. He’s a Warrior now, and Curry has his most complete offensive sidekick since June 2019.
Acquiring Butler not only pumped life into a fading season, but it also instilled within Curry a renewed faith in the team. And, therefore, his mission.
“He has a presence about him,” Curry said of Butler after the Warriors’ 134-125 win over the Grizzlies. “He’s always under control, making the right play, [exploiting] advantages when he gets in the paint, getting to the line, finishing at the rim. … He just always makes the right play.
“And when I’m off the court, he’s lifting the level of guys around him. He’s a gamer.”
Butler fills many of the gaps that previously had the Warriors handcuffed to mediocrity. They’ve gone from climbing on Curry’s back and hoping it would be enough to succeed to hitching themselves to both stars and believing they’re supposed to win.
“That’s why the trade makes so much sense for us, and why the results have been there ever since,” Curry said. “It’s a great tandem in terms of two different styles.”
Golden State’s collective certitude was visible Tuesday in Memphis. The Warriors built a 17-point lead in the first quarter, lost all of it by the third quarter – before coming back, surviving 10 fourth-quarter lead changes, and closing out the win with a 13-3 run over the final 2:24.
Butler scored six of those 13 points, all on free throws. Curry accounted for two points, also on free throws. The only field goals were a tip-in by Brandin Podziemski and a corner 3-ball by Moses Moody that put the Grizzlies to sleep.
“The roster makes sense,” Kerr said, citing Butler as the missing piece. “We’ve got guys who are competitive and tough and smart. As Steph talked about, he wanted to play meaningful basketball again. He’s getting to do that. We’re all getting to do that, and it’s a lot of fun.”
Those field goals by Podziemski and Moody were consequential and, perhaps offered a glimpse of what is possible in games to come, beginning Thursday night in LA. The win at Memphis served as an audition for the high-stakes expectations for Podziemski and Moody and the under-25 members of the Warriors.
This was two teams with their hearts on display, dueling for NBA playoff positioning, with a frenzied pace and consistent intensity. Curry was at his best, scoring 52 points, but this game sought to answer another question:
Who, besides Draymond Green (a triple-double) and Butler (27 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals), would ensure Curry’s brilliance would be rewarded?
Podziemski and Moody provided an answer. Unproductive on offense most of the night, they made gigantic plays over the final 71 seconds. They showed up at winning time.
“We love playing meaningful games,” Curry said. “Coach said it before the game, that this is a meaningful game. All the rest of them down the regular season are going to be like this. So, for us to be able to step up the way we did [was a] total team effort.
“But I like me and Jimmy leading it.”
Curry and Green would not have been able to will Golden State’s youngsters into and through the postseason. The kids are still struggling in their efforts to trying to decipher the code that maximizes Curry.
Green knows it. Butler solved it in in two weeks. Are those two enough against premier competition? Can the youngsters, with the guidance of the vets, provide adequate support?
The outcome against the Lakers, revived with Luka Doncić joining forces with LeBron James, should provide a hint.
