The Warriors beat the short-handed Pacers 114-83 without their superstar point guard, Stephen Curry, who was sidelined with illness in his third consecutive game.
In Curry’s absence, Jimmy Butler took over the leadership role to carry the offensive and ball distribution roles for the team. Meanwhile, Draymond Green’s contributions were not very evident on the box score, but in the locker room and on the sidelines during timeouts.
Following the win against the Pacers, Al Horford spoke to the media about Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green’s contributions in Curry’s absence.
“Jimmy [Butler], right away, made it a clear point to look for me. There were a few times he had [open] layups, but he was looking out to kick it out and encouraging me to shoot the ball.”
And the passes, they’re there and on the money. So I credit a lot of that to him, to kind of getting me going, offensively,” said Horford about Butler, who had seven assists to go along with his 21 points and nine rebounds for the night against the Pacers.
“I feel after the last game, Draymond challenged us to be better and come out with more intensity, more energy, and be better. It’s something, I feel like, we did that today,” said Horford about Green’s challenge to the roster after their blowout loss to the Nuggets in the first fixture of the NBA Cup.
“He’s very sharp, he gives great perspective, and I feel like he’s reasonable with us. He paints the picture clearly. I feel like he’s teaching out there a lot when he’s after us for stuff. He’s doing a really good job at that, and for me, it’s just trying to absorb and learn how he operates.”
“Just things you’ve been seeing from afar all these years, and now that I’m here, I’m able to see it firsthand,” said Horford on Green’s leadership on the court and his contributions that do not show up on the box score.
Horford only scored in the double digits for the second time for the Warriors this season in seven games played. He finished the game with 12 points and four rebounds, while shooting 4-of-6 from three-point range (66.7%).
The veteran center could not wait to get Curry back on the roster, who Kerr confirmed will be available in their next game against the Thunder on Tuesday.
While the roster may not have had the best run without Curry, as they lost two games and one won in his absence, it clearly showed them the gaps in their system that they need to fill as a team whenever their superstar player is not available.
Considering that the Pacers were also shorthanded, I do not consider this a major victory for the Warriors. However, some key takeaways from this game could help them in the long run for the times whenever Curry is not on the court for them and Butler has to lead the offense.
