Two giants of the basketball world collided tonight and didn’t disappoint. Stephen Curry went off the handle to score 37 points in his effort to bring the Warriors back from a 20+ point halftime deficit. He and the Bay nearly did so if it wasn’t for the mammoth effort of LeBron James. Continuing on his smooth sailing 40 ship, the Akron Hammer had another flawless display against his arch-rival.
However, the game itself didn’t come without controversy.
After the thrilling matchup, Curry sat down at the presser with a visible mark on his forehead. When asked about it, the Baby Face Assassin feared it was bound to get worse. “It’s probably growing by the second,” he said. But more important was the background behind it. He picked up the scar while running into Austin Reaves, as he recalls.
The decision didn’t go in his favor. And Curry didn’t shy away from taking a little shot at the officials. “It was the drive I think it was Austin he looked like he was trying to take a charge and I tried to sidestep. No foul though,” he told the reporter. The reporter even admitted feeling harsh about the call from the referees.
Steph Curry has a welt on the right side of his forehead from that crashing drive vs the Lakers tonight
“No foul though” pic.twitter.com/D5mxUwkQlT
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 7, 2025
In protest, Stephen Curry plans on taking action. “I’ll just send a picture of my face to the league,” the Warriors talisman claimed. The night was frustrating for the Warriors, who have now lost three of their last four games. In the eight-point loss, the Bay went to the charity stripe 16 fewer times than the Lakers. In the fourth quarter alone, the Lakers scored 16 off their 30 points from the line.
Albeit, the Purple and Gold’s style of play instills heavy pressure at the rim. However, Stephen Curry only went to the line 5 times tonight. In contrast, Austin Reaves had 16. With the Warriors ravaging back in the third quarter, they had their moments to win the game. The free throw disparity may have played a part. However, their own turnovers also allowed the Lakers to score 35 fastbreak points.
Furthermore, the Warriors only shot 30.2% from three. So although Stephen Curry powered a 19-point fourth quarter, the first-half breakdown was too much to cope for the Bay. Luckily, they might have a fix.
Steve Kerr is confident about Jimmy Butler’s acquisition
The last two games showed something. The Bay can hang till the end even with the elite teams as they did tonight. They came back from a 20+ point deficit against the Los Angeles Lakers. But in another narrow finish, it was the Warriors that ended up on the losing side. It could also be one of the last times it happens.
That’s the sort of confidence Steve Kerr holds in Jimmy Butler. In a blockbuster trade, the Bay became the disgruntled Heat star’s new home. With a reputation for closing out games and having persistent success in such moments, Kerr believes his addition will avoid further disasters such as their recent collapse against the Utah Jazz.
When addressing the media about closing games, Kerr expanded, “Ten-point lead with three minutes left, I’m confident we close out that game with Jimmy,”.
Steve Kerr believes Jimmy Butler will “settle” the Warriors down in clutch moments. Called the collapse in Utah last night a good example: “Ten-point lead with three minutes left, I’m confident we close out that game with Jimmy.”
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 7, 2025
In any scenario, their meltdown against the Jazz was unacceptable. The Warriors had pulled the game in the fourth quarter. But a series of mistakes gave way for a bottom-seed Jazz side to march back. Thus far, that’s how the team has performed in the testing moments. They have a 16-16 record in the clutch accounting for the third most losses in such situations.
The advent of Jimmy Butler should help fix that. While he isn’t revered for his shooting, the six-time All-Star’s calmness and competitive instincts led to the Miami Heat achieving splendid results. The bigger the occasion, the more Butler tends to expand his role. Now, teamed up with Curry, the 35-year-old will see better looks and even has the green light from the coach to take charge in the clutch.
Although he hasn’t played much this season since joining the Heat, they never had a losing record with Jimmy Butler down the stretch. Having his seasoned presence on the court will be extremely beneficial for the Warriors who have also played the most clutch games at this point in the season.
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