New parts fitting in nicely for the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings
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Jimmy Butler of the Golden State Warriors shoots the ball against Aaron Holiday of the Houston Rockets during the second half at Toyota Centre on Feb 13.
PHOTO: AFP
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SACRAMENTO – Two familiar rivals who have yet to experience the other’s new look will go head-to-head on Feb 21 (Feb 22, Singapore time) when the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings open the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) second half in California’s capital.
The clubs (28-27) will take the court at Golden 1 Centre tied for ninth place in the Western Conference, each hoping a key addition at the trade deadline ignites a surge up the standings.
The Warriors have gone 3-1 – all on the road – since adding Jimmy Butler via a trade with the Miami Heat. Butler, who had not played since Jan 21 before joining Golden State, has averaged 21.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists in his four games.
Four-time NBA champion Draymond Green has been so impressed with the six-time All-Star that he proclaimed that the team need to make room for another banner in the Chase Centre rafters.
“He’s brought back that belief. I think we’re gonna win the championship,” he boasted on national television over the All-Star break.
The volatile veteran then quickly corrected himself, adding: “I’m sorry, I said I think we’re gonna win the championship. I lied. We are going to win the championship.”
Butler’s impact on the Warriors arguably has been most felt at the free-throw line, where he is 34-for-40. Golden State have attempted an average of 27.5 foul shots in the last four games, after averaging just 20.4 in their first 51 contests.
“Sometimes you just need new blood. The West has gotten so much better; teams around us have gotten so much better,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.
“Frankly, we needed what Jimmy is bringing us, which is kind of a star confidence. You can just feel his presence and his force.
“It’s infusing the team with some energy, some new energy that we needed.”
The Kings have been hoping for some of the same from Zach LaVine, who arrived from the Chicago Bulls three days before Butler was picked up by the Warriors.
The two-time All-Star helped the Kings win three of their last four games – averaging 23.5 points and 6.5 assists in those outings – after he debuted for Sacramento with a pair of losses in which he contributed an average of 17.5 points and 2.5 rebounds.
LaVine is coming off his most productive game in purple, recording just his second points-assists double-double of the season with 32 points and 10 assists in a 140-133 overtime loss to the New Orleans Pelicans in the final game before the break.
The University of California, Los Angeles product has been encouraged by the Kings’ 126-point scoring average in their past four games, which came immediately after the team had been held to 116 or fewer in six straight games.
“We’re making up ground. We need to figure out how to make the game easier for us and get out and get those easier baskets. Put pressure on the defence,” he said.
The Kings swept both meetings with their Northern California rivals in January, winning 129-99 at Golden State and 123-117 in Sacramento.
They will be without two key contributors to those wins. Kevin Huerter, traded to Chicago in the LaVine deal, had 16 points off the bench in the road win while De’Aaron Fox, sent to the San Antonio Spurs in the three-team blockbuster trade, had 14 points in the home victory.
Meanwhile, in NBA action on Feb 20, Payton Pritchard scored 28 points off the bench and Jayson Tatum recorded a triple-double as the Boston Celtics stormed out of the break with a 124-104 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Pritchard made eight of his team’s 24 three-pointers at the Wells Fargo Centre, helping Boston win their seventh straight road game and fourth in a row overall.
The Celtics improved to a league-best 23-6 on the road as Tatum finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
Over at the Barclays Centre, Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points for the league-leading Cleveland Cavaliers, who found their footing late in the third quarter and pulled away in the fourth for a 110-97 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.
REUTERS
