The Golden State Warriors have continued to roll after their trade deadline acquisition of superstar two-way forward Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat.
The Warriors’ latest 97-94 home victory over the New York Knicks on Saturday night marked the group’s seventh consecutive victory and 14 wins spanning Butler’s first 15 games with the organization, adding to their overall 39-28 record and position as the Western Conference’s No. 6 seed.
Butler has seemingly unlocked four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry down the stretch, as he’s averaging 28.3 points, 6.0 assists and 4.1 rebounds on a ridiculous 67.3% true shooting percentage and 40.6% accuracy from three-point range over his last 15 games.
With Curry and Butler looking to be one of the more fearsome duo’s the league has to offer as the postseason creeps closer, new reports indicate that Golden State is expected to leapfrog several prominent contenders in the West, including the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets, on their way to claiming a top-5 seed in the conference by season’s end.
“The Warriors have been nearly unbeatable with Butler, and they’ve sustained this success long enough to aim higher than the play-in tournament,” Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley wrote Monday.
“In fact, our crystal ball sees them ascending to a top-five seed, surpassing one (or even both) of the shooting-starved Houston Rockets and the LeBron-less Lakers.”
As the regular season winds down, Buckley cites two major factors that could see the Warriors overtake both dominant units in the standings.
The Lakers’ very own trade deadline addition in ex-Dallas Mavericks generational talent Luka Dončić has also proven to be a successful one in its immediate aftermath, as Dončić led the team to eight straight victories before LeBron James went down with an unfortunate groin injury.
Since James has been absent from the Lakers’ nightly rotation, the team has dropped four of its last five games, marking a staunch and slightly worrisome night-and-day difference.
Los Angeles currently sits just 2.5 games ahead of Golden State as the West’s No. 5 seed with a 41-25 record, but the future Hall of Fame inductee James’ continued hiatus could give Curry and Butler ample opportunity to take their spot.
As for the entertaining and wildly talented No. 2 defensive group in the NBA (109.3 defensive rating) and the West’s current No. 2 seed, Houston’s ultimate undoing could involve their lack of offensive ability and three-point personnel, evidenced by a collective 34.6% efficiency mark from distance.
In the postseason, shots closer to the basket will be harder to come by, and the Rockets’ lack of one-on-one creation and difficult shot-making talent outside of guard Jalen Green could spell doom even before the 2025 NBA Playoffs begin.
On the other hand, the Warriors’ recent surge with Butler integrated into their rotation has led to an exponential increase in deep-range accuracy, with the club sporting a fantastic No. 6 ranked 38.3% team three-point percentage over their last 10 games.
With the 2024-25 season winding down to what should be an exciting finish, Curry and Butler will look to secure a favorable position for the postseason, while James and Dončić’s Lakers, along with the Rockets, will need to avoid a major collapse.\
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