What We Learned as Warriors' Team Effort Wins Without Steph Curry
While the final score Sunday at Chase Center was a 114-83 Golden State Warriors win, the game itself was far from impressive.
Game Context
The Indiana Pacers entered the game with a lengthy injury list and just one victory in the 2025-26 NBA season—a short-handed win against a Warriors team eager for revenge. Additionally, the Pacers were on the second night of a back-to-back after playing the Denver Nuggets the previous night.
Warriors' Performance
The Warriors appeared to be sleepwalking in front of their home crowd throughout most of the game, especially until the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth. However, they dominated late, outscoring the depleted Pacers 39-18 in the final quarter to secure the victory.
Key Players
- Jimmy Butler led the Warriors' offense, nearly recording a triple-double. He was +19 in 30 minutes, scoring 21 points with nine rebounds and seven assists.
- Al Horford had his best game with the Warriors. At 39 years old, the center had struggled with three-pointers earlier in November but began to find his rhythm despite earlier misses, including 0 of 7 and 0 of 2 in recent games.
"The final score was a 114-83 Warriors win, but the results weren’t pretty."
"Jimmy Butler was a plus-19 in 30 minutes, scoring 21 points with nine rebounds and seven assists."
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Author's Summary
The Warriors secured a solid win without Steph Curry by rallying late, led by Jimmy Butler’s all-around effort and Al Horford’s improved performance despite early struggles.