Warriors cry for Jimmy Butler gets louder as awful first-half sets up loss in L.A.

Wednesday's late-game meltdown against the Utah Jazz continued into the first-half of Thursday's game for the Golden State Warriors, with the visitors falling behind by as much as 26 in what resulted as a 120-112 defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Any excitement of Jimmy Butler's introductory press conference quickly dissipated for the Warriors, having come out lifeless and with little intensity as they trailed 69-49 at half-time at Crypto.com Arena.

A woeful first-half set up another loss for the Warriors in Los Angeles

While many fans were ready to move on and look forward to Butler's expected debut against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday, his new teammates did save face with a far more competitive second-half that briefly threatened a stunning comeback.

A Stephen Curry three brought the Laker lead back to five with just under four minutes remaining, but that's as close as Golden State got thanks to a parade to the free-throw line that was ultimately the difference in the game.

The Lakers went 29-of-36 from the free-throw line, with LeBron James and Austin Reaves combining for 26 of those. James was his usual unstoppable force, going for a mammoth 42 points, 17 rebounds and eight assists in his team's eight-point victory.

The Warrior offense was once again led to Stephen Curry, with his 35 field-goal attempts signifying just how much this team needs Butler's presence. The 2x MVP did get to a team-high 37 points, but shot just 37.1% from the floor and 30% from 3-point range in the process.

Buddy Hield had 15 points on 4-of-9 3-point shooting in another improved performance, while Moses Moody continued his good form with 14 points and five rebounds in 32 minutes off the bench. Brandin Podziemski couldn't back up his career-high 29 points against the Jazz, but still finished with eight points, eight rebounds and seven assists in over 34 minutes.

Veteran Draymond Green had 12 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals, playing a majority of his 33 minutes as a small-ball center which included Moody taking Quinten Post's place to start the third-quarter.

Despite having a depleted squad, it's a missed opportunity for Golden State who will rue their first-half, some terrible transition defense throughout the game, and their inability to keep James and Reaves off the line.

The Warriors now fall back below .500 at 25-26 on the season and will be desperately hoping to get instant impact from Butler when they face the Bulls on Saturday.