Martinez Tribune The website of the Martinez Tribune.
BY DANIEL GLUSKOTER
Jimmy Butler picked up the slack for a resting Steph Curry, scoring 24 points to lead the Warriors to a 104-93 win over the Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday night at Chase Center.
Golden State’s Jimmy Butler drives to the basket around Milwaukee’s Gary Trent Jr. during the Warriors 104-93 win over the Bucks Tuesday night.
Curry, described as “exhausted,” after Monday nights disappointing loss to the shorthanded Denver Nuggets, was given the second night of a back to back off in the hopes of lightening his load for the stretch drive as Golden State tries to stay out of the Play-In tournament in the Western Conference with 13 games to go in the season.
“Steph’s been carrying us for a month. We gotta get him some rest. He doesn’t have his energy right now,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said before the game.
Improving to 15-2 with Butler in the lineup, the Warriors held Milwaukee to a season low total in points while staying ahead of Minnesota and the Clippers for the coveted sixth seed in the West.
Golden State controlled the game throughout the first half, taking a 14 point lead into the locker room, but the Bucks went on a 32-12 run to open the third quarter and take a six point lead before the Warriors were able to right the ship, going on a 16-0 spurt to end the quarter and start the fourth.
Giannis Antetokounmpo posts up Draymond Green during the Warriors win over the Bucks Tuesday night.
The Warriors defense also took over in the fourth, holding Milwaukee to 17 points and keeping Bucks stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lilliard each close to ten points below their scoring averages. Antetokounmpo was held to 20 points on 5-16 shooting, his worst of the season, (with nine rebounds and seven assists) while Lilliard was even worse, going 6-18 for 16 points. Kyle Kuzma paced the Bucks with 22 points.
Butler added eight rebounds and ten assists while Brandon Podziemski had 17 points and seven rebounds in his return after missing six games with a bad back. Buddy Hield chipped in 15 off the bench for Golden State with Quinten Post adding 14. Draymond Green had a game high ten rebounds for the Warriors to go along with four blocks and two steals.
Asked what changed the game at the start of the fourth quarter, Kerr added “I thought Jimmy’s (Butler) three-point play at the end of the quarter was a big one, getting fouled, and knocking down the three free throws. We felt good about that lineup that we put out there to start the fourth. It’s been a great lineup for us. They really made a nice push. QP (Quinten Post) hit the big three from the corner. There’s a good flow with that group, a good two-way lineup. They made a great run then we were able to hold them off.”
Jonathan Kuminga battles Milwaukee’s Gary Trent Jr. for positioning during Golden State’s 104-93 win over the Bucks at Chase Center.
Kerr also praised Green’s defensive intensity, stating “That defense tonight on Giannis was incredible, to hold him to five field goals. Draymond showed why he’s still one of the great defenders in the world and why he’s so important to winning night after night. I thought it wasn’t just the defense, it was the leadership. It was the energy. Such a professional effort by our guys coming off of last night’s loss.”
The Warriors return to action Thursday night at Chase for the final game of a seven game homestand against Toronto, hoping to have Curry back in the lineup and looking to avenge an upset win by the Raptors in Toronto on January 13th.
GAME NOTES:
Golden State improved to 5-1 on the homestand and 8-1 overall.
The Warriors swept the season series from the Bucks for the first time since the 2016-17 season and has now won five straight games vs. Milwaukee.
Post has made 53 three pointers through his first 31 career games, the most by a Warriors player in their first 31 NBA games All-Time, surpassing the 42 made by Brandin Podziemski last season and Stephen Curry’s 40 in the 2009-10 season.
The Warriors are 7-3 without Curry in the lineup.
