The Golden State Warriors lost a rare game to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night, 124-115, at the State Farm Arena. Golden State played without its star, Steph Curry, who suffered a pelvic injury on Thursday night. The Warriors previously won nine of their last ten games and are climbing up the Western Conference standings heading into the playoffs.
Newly acquired forward Jimmy Butler led the Warriors with 25 and eight assists in the loss. Golden State had only lost two games with Butler in the lineup since acquiring the all-star from the Miami Heat in a blockbuster deal during the trade deadline. Warriors forward Draymond Green told reporters how disappointing Saturday night's loss was for the team.
“Bad loss. It’s a terrible loss. Eleven games left with everything to play for, you shouldn’t have a loss like this", Green told reporters after the game. The former Defensive Player of the Year finished the game five points, six rebounds, and assists in the loss.
Golden State is No. 6 in the current playoff seeding, just a half-game ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers. In order for the Warriors to avoid the play-in tournament, they must be in the top six seeds of the playoff bracket. The Warriors were teetering on the brink of falling out of the playoffs before the Butler trade, but he has turned around the Warriors fortune.
Many were unsure how this season would turn out for Golden State, with franchise legend Klay Thompson leaving in free agency to the Dallas Mavericks this past offseason. Golden State is now 41-30 on the season and travel to Miami to face the Heat on Tuesday.
