Perhaps a good team is emerging?
The Golden State Warriors are undefeated in the Jimmy Butler era, and it seems that a strategy is emerging: a second-half takeover. After turning a 24-point third-quarter deficit into a 21-point win on Saturday against the Chicago Bulls, the Warriors once again turned on the third and fourth-quarter burners en route to a 125-111 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night.
It started with — what else — a new starting lineup. Steve Kerr has been open that Draymond Green will play more center with Butler in the fold, and that began on Monday, with Green the starting five alongside Butler, Moses Moody, Buddy Hield, and Steph Curry.
Unlike in Chicago, the Warriors never fell behind big, but they took their sweet time getting going. The Dubs played good defense out of the gates, but the Bucks, led by Damian Lillard and new acquisition Kyle Kuzma (and missing Giannis Antetokounmpo), were making difficult shots, and piling in the points early. It was a high-octane quarter for both teams, until Curry and Lillard went to the bench. That slowed things to a screeching halt, and the grind-fest resulted in a 29-27 lead after one.
The pace picked up again in the second, and the Warriors started to build a lead, but could never really break it open. They pushed it to nine points early, but a 5-0 run by Taurean Prince splashed a whole lot of cold water on things. It felt like a fight for the Dubs to stay in front of the Bucks, but some late-quarter defensive clamps let them build the lead up a little bit again. Butler found Green for a dunk with 1.7 seconds remaining, and the Warriors took a 58-51 lead into the break.
Milwaukee actually outscored Golden State in the third quarter, though it really didn’t feel like it, because the momentum shifted towards the end. Things started ugly, with an early 9-2 Bucks run to make it a two-point game, prompting a great Kelenna Azubuike quote: “No one’s as cool as The Fonz, but what isn’t cool is that the Bucks have momentum.”
Well said, Kelenna.
They went back and forth, with the Warriors building the lead back to seven, and the Bucks scoring seven straight to tie things up around the halfway mark.
But in the final minutes, we got a repeat of what happened in Chicago: Butler flexing his muscles, literally and figuratively. With Curry on the bench, Butler went into beast mode, attacking the rim over and over again, bullying his way through Milwaukee defenders, and living at the line. It was exactly what has been missing, and it allowed the Dubs to not only stay alive while Curry sat, but build it up to an 89-83 lead going into the final frame.
Milwaukee made an early push in the fourth, pulling within two points, and then the Warriors decided that enough was enough. A brilliant sequence occurred in which gorgeous ball movement led to a Quinten Post three. A few seconds later, Brandin Podziemski drew a charge on the inbounds, and a few seconds later, Post made another three. And from there it was on. Curry drained a deep three shortly later to make it a double-digit game, and it all culminated in a 20-4 run which gave the Warriors an 18-point lead.
From there, it was just window dressing. The Bucks scored some points — mostly by Lillard — to make the score look more respectable, but the outcome was never in doubt.
Curry, who looks fully rejuvenated, led the Warriors with 38 points, while shooting 12-for-24 from the field and 6-for-16 from deep. Butler again spent all night at the free throw line, taking 15 attempts en route to 20 points, nine rebound, six assists, and four steals. Hield had 16, while Moody and Post both dropped in 13 points … the latter on 4-for-5 shooting.
The Warriors only shot 28.9% from three-point range, but they took care of the ball and turned defense into offense brilliantly. In an almost comical stat, they outscored the Bucks 31-2 in points off of turnovers, and that’s a recipe for success … as the Warriors know all too well from being on the receiving end.
With the 125-111 win, the Warriors have now gone above .500 again. They’ll visit the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, with a chance for their first three-game winning streak in about three months.