After rattling off four wins for the first time this season, the Golden State Warriors have now dropped two straight following Jimmy Butler’s season-ending injury.
The Dallas Mavericks handed Golden State a 123–115 loss on Thursday in the sixth meeting between Bay Area legend Klay Thompson and his former ball club. After a shaky first half and a reinvigorating third quarter, the Warriors completely melted down in the fourth, getting outscored 39–26 and failing to provide Stephen Curry with any meaningful help as the starting lineup again becomes a major problem.
This loss encapsulates the Warriors’ post-Butler reality so far: strong bench production, inconsistent shooting, and a glaring lack of scoring.
Golden State's starting lineup is again a major issue
Steve Kerr made a change to his starting lineup, sending Quinten Post to the bench and inserting Gui Santos alongside Curry, Moody, Podziemski and Green. Steph shouldered much of the offensive load, scoring 38 points on 14-of-27 shooting — 25 of them coming in the second half — while the rest of the starters managed just 30 points on 11-of-30 (36.6%) from the field.
Draymond Green had a rough night playing the five, fouling out in the fourth quarter while committing three turnovers and finishing as a -15. Despite Curry’s heroics, he ended the night at -24 in 34 minutes, the second-worst mark on the team behind only -32 for Gary Payton II. The two Warriors veterans have combined to post a minus 91 over their last two games, spanning 104 total minutes.
Thankfully, the Warriors’ bench and second unit have been as remarkable as the starting five has been underwhelming. Over the last two games, the starting lineup has posted a 100 offensive rating and a 190 defensive rating — yes, 190. Meanwhile, the two-man lineup of De'Anthony Melton and Jonathan Kuminga recorded a 130 offensive rating and 94.1 defensive rating in that same span.
With 56 of the Warriors’ 115 points coming from the bench, Golden State now leads the NBA in total bench points (2,065) and averages 44.9 per game, second-most in the league only trailing Memphis.
De’Anthony Melton has been a major part of that success. Since Christmas, Melton has averaged 14 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game. But his impact goes beyond the stat sheet, as he boasts the team’s highest net rating when he’s on the floor (+18.5) and the second-lowest when he’s off it (-0.6). Golden State should begin to address his contract situation and make it a priority, as Melton holds a player option for next season worth just $3.45 million — a figure he’s likely to decline.
A cruel twist for Kuminga and the Warriors
Jonathan Kuminga felt like the obvious candidate to slide into the starting lineup, coming off a 21-point performance in just 20 minutes against Toronto and scoring 10 points on flawless shooting in his first nine minutes off the bench against Dallas.
But with 4:30 left in the second quarter, Kuminga tweaked his ankle on a hard drive to the basket, immediately signaling to be taken out before heading straight to the locker room and never returning. While the injury isn’t expected to be serious, it comes at a very inopportune time.
Both Kuminga and the organization were hoping he could string together a couple of gaudy outings to drive up the league-wide demand and potentially facilitate a move out of the Bay. With the trade deadline just two weeks away, the injury puts a damper on that outlook. Kuminga is set to undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the injury.
Where the Warriors really stand
The Warriors missed out on a prime opportunity to climb the standings, as the Lakers, Timberwolves, and Rockets all lost on Thursday as well. Instead, Golden State may need to shift its focus to who’s creeping up from behind, as they appear more in line with a team like the Blazers than with Minnesota or Houston at this stage. Golden State currently sits at 25–21, 2.5 games back of the sixth seed and four games clear of the tenth.
The Warriors will fly to Minnesota to face a Timberwolves squad riding a four-game losing streak, with the two sides meeting twice in three days. Golden State can’t afford to head to Utah next Thursday at 0–3 on the road trip, as its playoff hopes may hinge on this baseball-style mini-series against the Wolves.