The Jimmy Butler trade continues to pay dividends for the Golden State Warriors, who are 15-3 since acquiring the six-time All-Star from the Miami Heat on Feb. 6.
The Warriors (40-29) are poised to resume their climb up the Western Conference standings when they face the Toronto Raptors (24-45) on Thursday in San Francisco.
With Stephen Curry resting, Butler had 24 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in Golden State’s 104-93 home win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday. Curry is expected to return for Thursday’s contest.
Butler’s presence has created scoring opportunities throughout the lineup for Golden State. Brandin Podziemski scored 17 points against Milwaukee and Buddy Hield added 15 points off the bench.
“It’s why (Butler) is who he is,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said. “He commands so much attention. For us, that’s great because he’s allowing everybody else to get in their spots where they’re comfortable and either get layups or open jump shots.”
Butler is averaging 17.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists in 17 games since joining the Warriors, who hold the sixth seed in the West.
Green has also played a key role in Golden State’s surge while making a strong case for his second NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award.
Green helped limit Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo to 20 points on 5-of-16 shooting on Tuesday and has a combined nine blocks in his past two games.
“Draymond, that defense tonight on Giannis was incredible,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “To hold him to five field goals, Draymond showed why he is still one of the great defenders in the world. It wasn’t just the defense; it was the leadership, the energy.”
Golden State is looking for a split of the season series after Toronto earned a 104-101 victory when the teams met in Canada on Jan. 13.
The Raptors fell to 8-25 on the road with a 129-89 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Monday. Scottie Barnes had 16 points and Immanuel Quickley added 15 for short-handed Toronto, which played without RJ Barrett (illness), Gradey Dick (right knee bruise) and Jakob Poeltl (rest).
Forward Jonathan Mogbo returned after missing six games with a back contusion and had two points, six rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes.
The Raptors struggled to keep pace with Phoenix while using their 30th starting lineup of the season. Toronto finished shooting 35.6 percent from the field and 28.6 percent (10 of 35) from 3-point range.
“It’s been awhile since we’ve had a game like this,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. “All we’ve got to do is forget this one, fill the cup, bring the energy for the next one and continue competing. I don’t want to make any conclusions based on one poor performance here tonight.”
One bright spot in the loss was the play of center Orlando Robinson, who had 12 points and eight rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench. The 24-year-old recorded three straight double-doubles earlier this month and has fit in well with the rebuilding Raptors.
“I love my teammates; they’re all nice and funny guys,” Robinson said. “As a unit we just love competing. We’re all young, running around, guarding teams. We take joy in that. We feed off each other.”
–Field Level Media
