Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I’m ashamed to admit I missed a buzzer beater yesterday because I was watching another game that was also close. I need to brush up on my second-screening before next weekend.
In today’s SI:AM:
🔥 Warriors keep rolling
🏀 Latest bracket update
😬 Bad news for Duke
Curry is cooking
Before the NBA trade deadline, the Golden State Warriors faced a monumental decision. They were hovering around .500 and their playoff hopes seemed to hinge on surviving the play-in tournament. The team, as constituted then, appeared destined for mediocrity. And so the Warriors faced a choice. They could either sit tight and essentially punt on this season in favor of improving their future outlook, or they could mortgage the franchise’s future by taking a big swing in the trade market and try to maximize whatever’s left of Stephen Curry and Draymond Green’s careers.
They opted for the latter strategy—and it’s worked out better than anyone could have expected.
The Warriors pulled off a blockbuster five-team trade on Feb. 6 to acquire disgruntled Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler. Golden State gave up plenty in the deal, including forward Andrew Wiggins and this year’s first-round draft pick, but it’s been worth it.
Since the Butler trade, the Warriors are 13–2. That’s the second best record in the NBA over that span. They’ve gone from 10th place in the West to sixth and are only three games out of fourth place, which would earn them home-court advantage in the opening round of the playoffs.
The presence of Butler is certainly a significant factor in the Warriors’ current hot streak. Even at age 35, he’s still an excellent defender and a better secondary scoring option behind Curry than Wiggins was. But it’s Curry who is the primary engine behind the team’s renaissance. Before the trade, Curry was averaging 22.7 points per game on .431 shooting. Over the last 15 games, though, he’s averaging 28.7 points per game on .495 shooting.
On Thursday night against the Sacramento Kings, Curry became the first player in NBA history to make 4,000 career three-pointers as the Warriors picked up their sixth straight win, 130–104. But Curry only had 11 points, and Butler had just six. It was the team’s supporting cast that led the way, with seven players (other than Curry) scoring in double figures. Green had a team-high 23. Moses Moody (17 points) and Buddy Hield (16) both went 4-for-6 from three. The most encouraging sign for Golden State, though, was the return of forward Jonathan Kuminga, who had missed the past 33 games with a sprained ankle. He came off the bench in his first game since Jan. 4 and scored 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
Kuminga’s return comes at the perfect time for the Warriors. They had already been surging without him and now he gives them additional depth that will prove valuable down the stretch. He had a breakout season in 2023–24, his third as a pro, and has developed into a key member of the Warriors’ lineup. But his absence allowed other members of the team’s frontcourt to gain valuable experience, like rookie 7-footer Quinten Post, who has started 11 of the past 20 games. Now coach Steve Kerr has more players he can rely on in the frontcourt.
Back before the Butler deal, Curry, Green and Kerr were openly debating the merits of executing a big trade. Now, it certainly looks like they made the right choice. The trade has taken the Warriors from a fringe play-in team to one of the best teams in the NBA. They aren’t so dramatically improved that you’d say they’re a Finals favorite, but they’re comfortably in that second tier of Western Conference teams behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, alongside the Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies. At the very least, the Warriors are now in position to make a longer postseason run than they were before the trade, and every fan should be looking forward to the possibility of more chances for Curry and Butler to shine in the playoffs.
The best of Sports Illustrated
- Kevin Sweeney’s latest bracket watch focuses on the nerve-racking weekend ahead for many bubble teams.
- Bryan Fischer is in Charlotte for the ACC tournament, where the biggest story Thursday was Cooper Flagg’s ankle injury. Flagg is unlikely to play for the rest of the conference tournament, and his injury is bad news for Duke’s national championship hopes, Fischer writes.
- Pat Forde looks back on the life and career of celebrated sports journalist John Feinstein, the longtime Washington Post columnist and author who died Thursday.
- Chris Mannix breaks down how the Rockets have quickly gone from one of the worst teams in the NBA to a title contender.
- Jon Wertheim profiled UConn coach Dan Hurley for 60 Minutes ahead of the Huskies’ pursuit of a historic third straight national championship.
- The Spurs got more bad injury news weeks after Victor Wembanyama was ruled out for the season with a blood clot. Now De’Aaron Fox will be shut down with a hand injury.
The top five…
… things I saw last night:
5. Layden Blocker’s floater to tie it for DePaul in overtime. Creighton went on to win in double OT, but Blue Demons coach Chris Holtmann deserves a lot of credit for the team’s rapid turnaround after a 3–29 finish last year.
4. Red Sox prospect Roman Anthony’s home run while the fans chanted “overrated” at him.
3. Linus Ullmark’s unbelievable diving save.
2. Otega Oweh’s last-second layup to give Kentucky the win over Oklahoma.
1. Chucky Hepburn’s buzzer beater for Louisville after a wild final play.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as SI:AM | Stephen Curry Is on Fire and the Warriors Are Rolling.