Two familiar rivals who have yet to experience the other’s new look will go head-to-head Friday night when the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings open the NBA’s second half in the California capital.
The clubs will take the court in Sacramento tied for ninth place in the Western Conference, each hoping a key addition at the trade deadline ignites a surge in 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 hadn’t played since Jan. 21 prior to 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 Golden State needs to make room for another banner in the Chase Center rafters.
“He’s brought back that belief. I think we’re gonna win the championship,” Green 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’s 34-for-40. Golden State has attempted an average of 27.5 foul shots in the last four games after averaging just 20.4 in its first 51 contests.
“Sometimes you just need new blood,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “The West has gotten so much better; teams around us have gotten so much better. And 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 was imported from Chicago 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 at New Orleans in the Kings’ final game before the break.
The UCLA product has been encouraged by the Kings’ 126.0-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,” he said. “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 defense.”
The Kings swept both meetings with their Northern California rival in January, winning 129-99 at Golden State and 123-117 in Sacramento.
The Kings 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 San Antonio in the three-team blockbuster trade, had 14 points in the home victory.
-Field Level Media
