The second quarter in the Warriors-Raptors gamereached a fever pitch tonight. The home crowd at Chase Center stood up to give a standing ovation to Jonathan Kuminga who stepped onto the floor for the first time in a month.
Jonathan Kuminga’s long absence from the Warriors’ rotation finally ended Tuesday night, and the timing was not accidental. With Golden State moving forward without Jimmy Butler, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury on Monday, coach Steve Kerr said he planned to lean more heavily on his bench.
Mike Dunleavy Jr. does not sound like a general manager preparing to sell low. Speaking before Tuesday’s game against Toronto, the Warriors’ top executive said he does not envision trading Jimmy Butler despite the season-ending torn ACL that Butler suffered earlier this week.
Most NBA players, no matter how successful, are out of the league before the end of their 30s, or even their 20s. That leaves a lot of life left to live, and a good handful of players have made the most of their professional lives after leaving the court.
By the middle of the second quarter, the Warriors weren’t just losing, they were chasing shadows. The Raptors were scoring in transition, scoring off ball movement, scoring when Golden State actually played decent defense.
The Golden State Warriors were dealt a serious blow after it was confirmed that Jimmy Butler suffered a season-ending knee injury on Monday. The Warriors lost one of their top scorers, leaving Stephen Curry with a heavier load.
The Golden State Warriors are in dire straits. After losing Jimmy Butler to a devastating season-ending ACL tear during Monday’s 135-112 win over the Miami Heat, the spotlight has shifted directly to the fractured relationship between head coach Steve Kerr and forward Jonathan Kuminga.
Speaking to the media prior to Tuesday’s game against Toronto, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said he doesn’t envision trading Jimmy Butler in the wake of his season-ending torn right ACL, per Anthony Slater of ESPN (Twitter video link).
The Golden State Warriors are playing their best basketball of the season. Rotation players are finally taking chances on offense. A win over the Miami Heat secured their longest winning streak of the year (four games).
Draymond Green was out of the lineup for the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night. The four-time All-Star was sidelined with an ankle injury. Green was not able to help the Warriors secure a 135-112 win over the Miami Heat, which marked Golden State's fourth straight win.