The final buzzer sounded on Sunday’s 141-127 overtime loss to the Raptors, and as the crushing reality sank in, the announcer’s voice cut through: “Oh wow, and a NEW CAREER HIGH in rebounds for Scottie Barnes!” Twenty-five boards. A franchise record tie. Against the Golden State Warriors.
That’s when it hit me. This isn’t just losing anymore. The Warriors have become the NBA’s personal career-achievement awards ceremony.
Barneshad a statline of 23-25-10. DAMN. That’s historic stuff. And it happened
because Golden State had no answer for his freakish athleticism and towering physicality. Check this quote about his dominance Sunday:
Barnes dropped a monster triple-double to lead the Raptors to a 141-127 overtime win against the Golden State Warriors at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday. He had the triple-double secured before overtime even began, and had a career-high 25 rebounds in the win — which is the most recorded by a player in a single game anywhere in the league so far this season. It also matched the Raptors’ franchise record set by Bismack Biyombo in 2016, too
Barnes had 23 points and 10 assists to go with his 25 rebounds. It marked the seventh triple-double of his career, and the first ever 20-20 triple-double in Raptors history. Barnes is now just the second player since 1980 to record a 20-25-10 game anywhere in the league, along with Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokić.
But here’s the thing that keeps me up at night: Barnes isn’t some anomaly. He’s the latest name on a growing list of players who’ve discovered their inner superpowers exclusively when facing the Warriors.
Ryan Rollins came back to haunt his former team with 32 points in Milwaukee on October 30th. Career high. A player the Warriors gave up on, who’d just set a career mark with 25 against the Knicks, immediately topped it against Golden State. Rollins went 32 in a game where Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t even play. The Bucks didn’t need their two-time MVP because a guy GSW didn’t keep was too busy having the night of his life. The Warriors fell 120-110, and Rollins made sure every basket felt like a goodbye letter to an ex.
Then there’s Reed Sheppard. The Rockets sophomore dropped a career-high 31 points on us in late November, adding nine rebounds and five assists in a 104-100 Houston comeback win. The Warriors were up double digits at halftime and proceeded to get torched by a second-year player who looked like he’d been studying our defensive coverages his entire life. Sheppard hit pull-up jumpers, threaded pocket passes, and buried the game-sealing free throws while the Chase Center crowd watched in stunned silence.
Sure, Golden State survived Aaron Gordon’s 50-point masterpiece back in October. Gordon went 17-of-21 from the field, 10-of-11 from three, making eight straight threes to open the game. One shy of an NBA record. He became only the 17th player in history to make 10 threes in a losing effort, joining a club where Curry lives rent-free with seven such games. The difference? Curry hit a semi-contested 34-footer to tie it in regulation, then carried the Warriors to a 137-131 overtime win. That game felt like a last gasp of championship mettle, Curry refusing to let Gordon’s career night overshadow his own brilliance.
Now I know that folks get geared up like no other to play the modern dynasty, and play out of their minds. Heck, I remember when Antawn Jamison did it against the Shaq-Kobe Lakers back when the Warriors were pretty terrible.
But as we turn the calendar, Dub Nation can only watch in horror as the Bay’s team actively participates in the other team’s highlight reel. We’re the backdrop for their greatest moments. The stage where careers get defined. At 6-12 on the road, the Dubs are absolutely struggling with adversity. It feels more like we’re the traveling welcome mat, the team opponents see on the schedule and think, “Maybe tonight’s the night I set a career high.”
This isn’t the championship DNA we keep talking about. The habits that built dynasties have been replaced recently by confusion, miscommunication, and a stunning inability to complete the most fundamental aspects of winning basketball. The Warriors didn’t just lose on Sunday in stunning fashion; they provided the stage for history. And until they show some more consistency, the Dubs look like they’ll keep providing that stage every other night. Let’s lock in, Warriors!
