SAN FRANCISCO – The term “must-win game” gets thrown around sports at a grotesquely overused rate. The Warriors' game against the Miami Heat on Tuesday at Chase Center fit the definition.
With Jimmy Butler sidelined due to a team suspension, the Heat crawled into the Warriors’ home arena one night after losing to the Sacramento Kings in double overtime. Two nights ago, the Warriors were embarrassed in a 30-point loss to the Kings in front of Dub Nation. Tuesday's was a game they absolutely could not drop.
But they did, 114-98.
There have been frustrating losses down the stretch, like the Christmas game and wild endings in Denver and Houston. The Warriors also have lost by more points, too. Between the timing, the opponent and witnessing Steph Curry’s greatness consistently go to waste, nothing tops this loss.
Curry in 33 minutes scored a game-high 31 points on 11-of-22 shooting, including 8 of 17 on threes, and had seven rebounds. The Warriors now are 5-2 in games where Curry scores 30 or more points this season.
STAY HOT STEPH 🥵 pic.twitter.com/0vBAkTD2uJ
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) January 8, 2025
Golden State Warriors
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ second consecutive loss, dropping them to 18-18 on the season.
Steph vs. Everybody
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Someone tell Curry to grab some cardboard and a black Sharpie to write two words: Help Wanted.
Watching Curry, two months from turning 37 years old, have to play 1-on-5 while being guarded as if he were in the midst of his unanimous NBA MVP season was unbearable, especially in the first half. Curry scored eight points in the first quarter and 12 in the second, putting him at 20 on 7-of-12 shooting and 6 of 10 on 3-pointers. The rest of the Warriors weren’t close to his level.
Steph finishes the first half 6-for-10 from deep 🤑 pic.twitter.com/cx15QkPJkq
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) January 8, 2025
Eight other Warriors saw action going into halftime, and they scored a combined 28 points while going 12 of 43 from the field (27.9 percent) and 2 of 19 on 3-pointers (10.5 percent). Curry's backcourt mate, Dennis Schröder, was held scoreless. Andrew Wiggins provided just four points.
Schröder wound up with five points, and Wiggins had nine. Non-Curry players shot 18.2 percent, 6 of 33, on 3-pointers.
Bright Spot
As so many of Curry’s teammates were major disappointments, the one who stepped up most was someone who was a no-show the prior game. Kings star center Domantas Sabonis dropped 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting with 13 rebounds and seven assists in the Warriors’ blowout loss to Sacramento, a game in which their starting center, Trayce Jackson-Davis, was held scoreless for the first time this season.
In that rough showing, Jackson-Davis had more turnovers (three) and fouls (three) than rebounds (two). He made up for that performance against the Heat.
Through three quarters, Jackson-Davis already was up to a season-high 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting. He then didn’t have a single shot attempt in the fourth.
However, Jackson-Davis’ aggressiveness has to be recognized, throwing down a poster dunk and later even finding himself chest-to-chest with Terry Rozier.
TJD put him on a POSTER 🤯 pic.twitter.com/L4rpIqu0aq
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) January 8, 2025
Turning Up The Heat
What is Warriors owner Joe Lacob thinking right now, as he shakes his head from his courtside seat? How many texts and calls will general manager Mike Dunleavy make tomorrow? This is the kind of loss where a poorly run franchise makes a coaching change, even if he’s given a flawed roster.
The boo birds came out at times, and not just when Heat players were at the free-throw line. The fans are fed up. Here’s the reality: The 2025 NBA trade deadline is less than one month away, and there isn’t one move that’s going to save this team.
Trading for the disgruntled Butler isn’t a desired decision from the Warriors’ front office, for the time being. Maybe they go a tier below to offset their role players and future draft pieces to get the best player in franchise history a difference maker next to him on the court. Something. Anything.
These Warriors aren’t good enough. But settling with the current product would be nothing more than negligence in real time.
