The Golden State Warriors Saturday night game against the Charlotte Hornets got off to an odd start. Or rather, it became odd before it even started.
Shortly before the game tipped off, the Hornets announced
their starting five … and All-Star LaMelo Ball was not in it. And then, despite normal introductions for the Warriors in the minutes before the game began, the starting five that took the floor was not the starting five that had been announced … instead, Will Richard was on the court, and Jimmy Butler III was nowhere to be found.
It was an odd beginning that was later explained. Ball was, indeed, active, and is just having his minutes monitored, so he came off the bench for the second time this year, due to Charlotte having another game on Sunday. As for Butler, who wasn’t on the bench, it was announced that he would not be playing due to personal reasons. According to coach Steve Kerr, the Warriors didn’t find that out until after the opening introductions; more importantly, Kerr revealed that everything is fine with Butler, and the All-Star is expected to play on Monday.
With those oddities behind us all, the game began, and from there it was surprisingly normal. While fans surely kept one eye on the 49ers score (no spoilers here, don’t worry), and with new Giants coach Tony Vitello in attendance, the Warriors took an early lead and never relinquished it, coasting to a 136-116 win, and never once trailing.
The absences may have been ominous, but the actual start was encouraging: Moses Moody picked up where he left off on Thursday by draining a three on the very first possession of the game. After just two minutes, the Dubs led 8-2, and then pushed the lead to 14-5, with an unlikely source starring on offense: Draymond Green.
Simply put, the offense looked absolutely gorgeous. The ball was flying around, players were cutting and screening, and the team was springing free for open jumpers. It was beautiful, and an absolute joy to watch. They couldn’t really pull away though, because the Hornets started to find some offensive rhythm as well, following their cold start. With Butler absent, the Warriors struggled late in the quarter after Steph Curry went to the bench. But, thanks to some big minutes from Buddy Hield — who returned to the rotation with Butler and Gui Santos out — the Warriors figured things out late, and held a comfy 39-28 lead after the first quarter.
They were rolling to start the second, but Kon Knueppel — who is have an utterly superb rookie campaign — kept Charlotte in the game. Golden State would build the lead up, but the Hornets would reliably attack it, though they could never fully erase it. The non-Steph minutes were a bit smoother in the second quarter in the first, and the Dubs kept the energy and effort level very high, even when things weren’t working well.
Above all else, the depth — which Kerr praised effusively after the game — kept the Warriors ahead, as there were contributions from up and down the roster (per Danny Emerman, the Warriors became the first team in NBA history to have 10 different players make a three pointer in three consecutive games).
Both teams ended the half with highlights. With just 1.6 seconds remaining, Green made a brilliant pass to Brandin Podziemski, who sank a three from straightaway, giving the Warriors their largest lead of the night at 15. But the Hornets would respond, with Miles Bridges sinking a three-quarter court shot at the buzzer. Golden State led 69-57 at the break, and things were looking good.
There would be a brief scare to start the second half, though. Behind Brandon Miller, the Hornets started to close the gap in the third quarter. The Warriors responded, but Charlotte again started to close the gap. And then, finally, Golden State was able to turn a lead into total control, as they exploded for a high-energy 17-3 run, which gave them their largest lead of the night. They were surging on both ends of the court, and red-hot from deep.
Another superb performance from De’Anthony Melton was punctuated at the end of the third quarter, when he scored, then picked Ball’s pocket with just a few seconds remaining, dribbled the length of the court to try to beat the buzzer, and drew a foul with 0.2 seconds remaining. He would make both free throws, allowing the Warriors to carry a 112-94 lead into the fourth quarter.
It was a drama free final frame. Curry only played a handful of minutes, and both teams emptied their benches about halfway through. And the Warriors waltzed their way to a 136-116 victory.
