Following a shock 114-105 defeat to the Denver Nuggets on Monday, the Golden State Warriors have responded in perfect fashion in taking down the Milwaukee Bucks despite the absence of Stephen Curry on Tuesday night.
The Warriors had to win the game on a couple of occasions, having watched the Bucks climb back from a 17-point deficit to take a 76-70 lead with a minute left in the third. The hosts steadied down the stretch though, with Jimmy Butler leading the way as they outscored Milwaukee 34-17 over the final 13 minutes.
Jimmy Butler delivered on a recent promise in a 104-93 victory
After Saturday's win over the New York Knicks, Butler proclaimed that "when it's my time, you'll know it's my time" when it comes to his individual scoring. With Curry sitting on the sidelines, this was well and truly Butler's time to drag his new team to a much-needed win.
The veteran forward did just that, leading all players in a low-scoring game with 24 points on 6-of-13 shooting and a perfect 11-of-11 from the free-throw line. Butler was creating everything for Golden State in the fourth, dishing out 10 assists which included the final three made field-goals by Brandin Podziemski and Gary Payton II.
Podziemski hardly missed a beat in his return from a five-game absence, finishing with 17 points on an efficient 6-of-10 shooting from the floor and 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. The second-year guard made a pair of clutch threes in the final three minutes, the first of which came after the Bucks had pulled to within three.
Buddy Hield was also efficient with 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting and 4-of-6 from 3-point range in nearly 24 minutes off the bench. But while he, Butler and Podziemski were terrific offensively, it was undoubtedly the other end of the floor that proved the difference for the Warriors.
Draymond Green displayed a vintage DPOY performance guarding Giannis Antetokounmpo, limiting the 2x MVP to just 20 points on 5-of-16 shooting from the floor. Golden State also did a great job on All-Star guard Damian Lillard, with the Oakland native going for just 16 points on 6-of-18 shooting.
Antetokounmpo, Lillard and Kyle Kuzma combined to shoot just 18-of-50 from the floor, with the Bucks shooting less than 40% from the floor and less than 32% from beyond the arc. The Warriors shot just 41.6% and 38.6% from three themselves, while their 10 turnovers in the third-quarter threatened an almighty collapse.
The trade for Butler gives Golden State a chance in games like these without Curry, and they took advantage to ease the pain of Monday's incredibly disappointing loss. The Warriors are now 5-1 on their home-stand and will look to conclude it in positive fashion against the Toronto Raptors on Thursday.
