Heading into Saturday night’s game, the Golden State Warriors were favorites to defeat the Indiana Pacers. Led by Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, the Warriors were facing a previously 0-5 Pacers team who has been ravaged by injuries.
Despite being favored to win, Golden State ended up falling to Indiana by a final score of 114-109.
Curry led the way in scoring for the Warriors with 24 points, but shot just 8-for-23 from the floor. Butler scored 20 points to go along with seven assists, six rebounds, three steals, and two blocks. On the other side of the court, Golden State saw Aaron Nesmith score 31 points, Pascal Siakam chip in 27, and Quenton Jackson score 25 to go along with 10 assists, six rebounds, and three steals.
It was a sobering loss for the Warriors. They now drop to 4-3 on the season.
Following the game, Butler spoke out strongly and put his team on blast. He was clearly unhappy with how the team played.
"We've got to get back to playing our roles to a T," Butler said. "Giving a damn whenever we turn it over. Giving a damn whenever our man scores. We guard as a team, we score as a team, everybody's got to be on the same page. I think we've gotten away from that a little bit."
Adding to the insult for Golden State was the fact that the Pacers were missing several key players due to injury. Among those missing were Andrew Nembhard, Obi Toppin, Bennedict Mathurin, Kam Jones, T.J. McConnell, and of course Tyrese Haliburton as well.
For Golden State, this is a huge opportunity for the team to get on the right track. Losing to a team like Indiana who is missing a lot of key players can be a turning point for a team. There is no doubt that the Warriors are talented enough to be a true contender in the Western Conference.
Hopefully, Butler and company are able to right the ship. They shouldn’t lose this kind of game, but it gives them a chance to figure out where the issues are early on in the season.
Next up for Golden State will be a matchup at home against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night.
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