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Steph Curry out for third consecutive game with illness as Warriors host Pacers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Steph Curry will miss his third consecutive game when the Warriors host the Indiana Pacers on Sunday at Chase Center.

The 37-year-old has been out due to an illness, and not coincidentally, Golden State has lost the past two contests without its best player.

Curry has been playing at an elite level this season, averaging 26.8 points on 45.4 percent shooting from the field and 38.9 percent from 3-point range.

The Warriors, with Curry in the lineup last Saturday, lost to the injury-ravaged Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

A week later, the Pacers have a staggering 10 players listed as out for Sunday’s game, including forward Pascal Siakam (rest).

Curry’s illness came at a bad time for the Warriors, who are trying to build consistency and good habits.

The Warriors hope Curry will be well-rested as they brace for a grueling six-game road trip to Oklahoma City, San Antonio (twice), New Orleans, Orlando and Miami.

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With the Lakers down by 20 in the third quarter at Atlanta, the only sound coming from their bench was Nick Smith Jr.’s hollow claps of encouragement. The rest of the Lakers sat with slumped shoulders on the bench or loitered with blank faces in a semicircle waiting for their coaches to join.

There wasn’t much that could be said.

The Lakers’ five-game winning streak ended in a blowout as the Hawks dominated 122-102 on Saturday at State Farm Arena.

Playing a third consecutive game without Austin Reaves, Luka Doncic tried to keep the Lakers (7-3) in it with 22 points, 11 assists and five rebounds, but all his points came in the first half and he came out after only 27 minutes as the Hawks built a 25-point lead by the middle of the third quarter. Forward Jake LaRavia had 13 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals, and Jarred Vanderbilt had 18 rebounds, one shy of his career high.

“This isn’t the identity of this team,” LaRavia said. “This game was an outlier of the first 10 games that we played. [We have to] just not let it break us and be ready to play the next game.”

The Lakers, who won their first four road games, started their five-game trip on a sour note and now need to bounce back when play Charlotte on Monday. 

Read more:Bronny James shows his improvement for shorthanded Lakers

The Hawks (5-5) were playing the second game of a home back-to-back after losing to the Toronto Raptors on Friday. They had four of five starters sidelined, including Trae Young (knee), Kristaps Porzingis (rest) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (back).

The Lakers should know the dangers of a desperate, shorthanded team. Only five days ago they ended Portland’s three-game winning streak without Reaves, Doncic or LeBron James. Coach JJ Redick said he would reiterate the lesson before Saturday’s game to avoid a letdown.

Then the Lakers fell behind by 13 in the first quarter. Their deficit ballooned to 26 after three quarters. Redick began sitting his starters by the middle of the third.  

“Just not a lot to like tonight,” Redick said matter-of-factly.

Facing a cross-country trip, the Lakers arrived in Atlanta on Thursday and scheduled a practice Friday with a team-bonding activity that night. They held a shootaround in the arena Saturday morning. 

Yet even with the extra time to prepare, Redick could tell within the first two minutes that the team didn’t have the necessary energy to win. What did the coach see during that fateful stretch? 

“Nothing,” Redick said. 

It was the final word of his news conference, which lasted 100 seconds. 

Doncic helped lead a quick third-quarter surge, assisting on three consecutive baskets in a 7-0 run that cut the lead to nine, but the Hawks responded by scoring seven unanswered points and forcing two turnovers. Center Deandre Ayton subbed out for the last time with 8:49 to go in the third. 

“They played phenomenal,” said Ayton, who had 11 points on five-for-five shooting and five rebounds. “But us not even damn near competing in a sense, it looks bad on paper and it looks bad on film. This is one of them games where yeah, food's going to taste bad tonight.”

Doncic and Marcus Smart, another veteran leader, were not made available to reporters after the game. 

Atlanta’s Mouhamed Gueye torched the Lakers for 21 points on eight-for-12 shooting and made four three-pointers. The Lakers, who had credited their connection and chemistry for carrying them through long stints without their stars, suddenly fell silent when faced with a large deficit in front of a rowdy crowd.

With most of Atlanta’s fans streaming toward the exits in the final two minutes, the Hawks' most dedicated fan group, the “404 Crew,” echoed through the mostly empty arena with a final chant: “Where is LeBron?”

The superstar has yet to play a single minute this season because of a bout with sciatica.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The play brought the entire Lakers bench to its feet. Austin Reaves’ sky-high lob pass and Bronny James’ two-handed dunk brought a roar from the crowd.

The emphatic dunk against Miami was James' first points of the season, but he saw them as just two more in what he hopes will be a long NBA journey.

“It was just a regular moment for me,” James said, not even having to conceal a smile after the Lakers’ shootaround Saturday, almost a week after the highlight. “... I want to continue to do that, but I just have to keep giving my all, keep playing hard, running in transition and getting stops on the defensive end for my team.”

James is trying to make his contributions, both big and small, regular occurrences for the shorthanded Lakers as they continue to dig into their bench.

Reaves will miss his third consecutive game Saturday as the Lakers begin a five-game road trip against the Atlanta Hawks. Imaging revealed a mild strain in Reaves’ right groin, coach JJ Redick said Saturday, but the guard’s pain is “really low,” and the team continues to hold him out as a precaution. Reaves is with the team on the road — and has a golf outing planned with James and Redick for an upcoming off day — and could return during the trip. 

James has played in each of the last three games with Reaves out, including 19 and 20 minutes in wins over Miami and Portland, respectively. He was trusted in pressure fourth-quarter situations in both victories and finished with three steals against the Heat. He delivered six assists with no turnovers the following night against the Trail Blazers while also scoring five points as the Lakers won without Reaves, LeBron James or Luka Doncic.

Read more:How the Lakers use Japanese slideshow presentations to build chemistry

“Ready to take advantage of the times that I get when our guys are out,” James said. “I'm going to stay aggressive.”

Each appearance is a step as the 21-year-old fights to become a regular rotation player. To get there, Redick said the former USC guard needs to start by pushing himself physically, being a disruptive defender and developing as a confident spot-up shooter.

James said his main focus is on “going out until I’m dead tired.” He earned Redick’s approval for playing hard.

When James first joined the Lakers last year as their second-round pick, Redick recalled the rookie would receive a pass during pickup games, pause, dribble or attempt unnecessary moves. It was “the opposite of point-five mentality,” Redick said, referencing the idea that players should decide to shoot, dribble or pass within 0.5 seconds of receiving the ball.

“He's now developed where he's got a great point-five mentality,” Redick said before the Lakers played Portland Nov. 3. “He's catch-and-shoot ready at all times.”

James made a critical three in the fourth quarter against Portland to put the Lakers up by five. He credited his time with the South Bay Lakers and working with player development coach Ty Abbott for helping him get comfortable with split-second decisions.

With fellow point guard Nick Smith Jr. on a two-way contract, it’s likely that Smith will handle more on-ball responsibilities during G League assignments this season, Redick said, giving James chances to develop his off-ball game.

That’s only if James, who is on a standard contract, ever goes to South Bay. The injured Lakers might need him more on their bench.

Guard Gabe Vincent has missed seven games because of a sprained ankle, but is progressing during on-court work with assistant coach Lindsey Harding. Vincent has not worked through contact or one-on-one drills; he was projected to be out for two to four weeks, but Redick estimated he will be out for closer to three, which could put him on track to return after the five-game trip wraps in Milwaukee on Nov. 15.

LeBron James will be reevaluated in one to two weeks after progressing to contact activity, beginning with one-on-one work with coaches. The 40-year-old did not join the team on the road for the start of the trip that next winds through Charlotte, Oklahoma City, New Orleans and Milwuakee.

South Bay roster set

The Lakers' G League team set its roster Saturday for opening night, featuring two-way players Smith, who scored 25 points in the victory over the Trail Blazers last week, Christian Koloko and Chris Mañon. Also on the squad are Jace Carter, Jarron Cumberland, RJ Davis, Luke Goode, Tevian Jones, Arthur Kaluma, Augustas Marčiulionis, Drew Timme and Anton Watson.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Observations after Watford's 1st triple-double helps Sixers top Raptors  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers brought back their black jerseys and returned to winning ways Saturday night. 

The team earned a 130-120 victory over the Raptors at Xfinity Mobile Arena in the debut of its throwback uniforms honoring the 2000-01 Eastern Conference champion team.

The Sixers now sit at 6-3. Toronto is 5-5. 

Six Sixers scored in double figures. Trendon Watford recorded his first career triple-double with a tremendous performance, putting up 20 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists. Tyrese Maxey had 31 points and seven assists. Joel Embiid tallied 29 points in 26 minutes.

The Sixers remained without Paul George (left knee surgery recovery) and Dominick Barlow (right elbow laceration). Johni Broome was unavailable because of a right ankle sprain. 

The Sixers will host the Pistons on Sunday night. Here are observations on their win over the Raptors:

Watford shines as starter 

Watford made his first start as a Sixer and scored the team’s first basket on a slam assisted by VJ Edgecombe. 

The Raptors and Immanuel Quickley were ultra-hot out of the gates. Toronto started 6 for 6 from floor and took a 15-7 lead on Quickley’s pull-up three-pointer.. 

The Sixers replied with a 13-0 run spurred by forced turnovers and open-floor attacks. Edgecombe and Maxey nabbed early steals. Watford jammed in a put-back dunk and assisted a Maxey corner three. 

Watford had been excellent as a backup point guard Wednesday in the Sixers’ loss the Cavs. He was awfully strong as a very versatile starting forward against Toronto. 

The Sixers ran tons of pitch actions with Watford on the court in the first quarter. Their perimeter players were often able to get a downhill head of steam off of both dribble handoffs and fake handoffs. Watford’s ability to read the defense and react sharply was a major help.

He posted 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting, three rebounds (two offensive) and two assists in the first period. 

Stars lead Sixers’ push back 

Despite that big run, the Sixers still had a rough overall start defensively. Toronto poured in 43 first-quarter points and had a 10-point advantage after 12 minutes.

The Raptors went up 51-37 early in the second quarter on a Ja’Kobe Walter corner three. They began a scorching 10 for 12 beyond the arc. 

Ultimately, Toronto’s shooters cooled off and the Sixers’ defense was much better in the second quarter. Embiid also played good, aggressive basketball in his second stint. A Watford high-low feed set Embiid up for a layup that cut the Sixers’ deficit to two points. Eventually, a short jumper from Kelly Oubre Jr. (19 points) gave the Sixers a 58-56 edge. 

With Embiid sitting, Maxey was stellar late in the second quarter. His lefty scoop layup with 1.9 seconds left in the first half put the Sixers up 68-63. 

Saving Embiid for the home stretch

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse used five players off the bench. Surprisingly, Jared McCain was not among them. The second-year guard was available to play (with limited minutes) for the second time since returning from a right thumb UCL tear. 

The Sixers’ starters had a few defensive lapses early in the third quarter. Brandon Ingram’s mid-range jumper knotted the game at 78-all. 

Watford and Maxey then fueled a fantastic stretch. Both played zealous defense, hustling back into plays to contest and block shots. They were also in the middle of fluid, highly effective offense. Watford dished a between-the-legs assist to Maxey, whose three put the Sixers up 94-82.

The Sixers fared badly with Maxey out late in the third quarter. Edgecombe had his third consecutive subpar shooting game, going 5 for 15 from the floor. A Quickley runner early in the fourth trimmed the Raptors’ deficit to 102-101.

Although the Sixers made an immediate 7-0 run, Toronto hung around. Nurse saved Embiid for the final minutes, calling timeout and subbing him in with the Sixers up 119-116 and 3:16 to go.

The tide swiftly turned.

Edgecombe converted a driving layup, Oubre slammed in a second-chance dunk and Embiid tipped in his own miss. Handling Embiid’s minutes restriction is often tricky, but having him on the floor down the stretch tends to make plenty of sense.

Steve Kerr reveals Warriors' ‘adapt-or-die' mentality in ever-changing NBA originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

At 5-5 on the 2025-26 NBA season following a 4-1 start, the .500 Warriors have some work to do if they want to contend in the Western Conference.

But despite the steep road ahead, coach Steve Kerr explained why there’s no point in feeling a sense of urgency at the beginning of a long campaign — especially in a league that now is so fast-paced, focusing on the little things is more important than ever.

“We’ve given a couple games away for sure, and there’s absolutely a focus on that,” Kerr told 95.7 The Game’s “Willard & Dibs” on Thursday, one day before Golden State’s blowout NBA Cup loss to the Denver Nuggets. “But you can’t just say, you know, ‘Hey, we got to get urgent here.’ There has to be a process that leads to the execution, that leads to the wins. And so right now, the focus is on the process. Take care of the damn ball, and we can help you with that as coaches with spacing and our offensive scheming, what we’re doing, that’s a collaboration.

“But ultimately, you know — adapt or die. I mean, the league has changed, and everyone’s playing with pace and 3-point shooting. I would say, seven or eight years ago, we could turn it over 18 times, and it didn’t matter, because we were going to shoot threes and play fast and out-talent people. Now you can play one of the worst teams in the league, and they will beat you by shooting, making 20 threes and playing really fast if you turn it over.”

The Warriors haven’t done a great job at taking care of the ball so far this season — they rank No. 20 in the league in turnovers per game with 16.0 and No. 22 in turnovers per possession (15.5 percent). In consecutive losses to the Sacramento Kings and Nuggets this week, Golden State allowed 28 points off 31 turnovers and has turned the ball over 15 or more times in seven of their 10 total games.

If the Warriors can limit their turnovers, Kerr believes the sky is the limit. But as he said, it’s truly do or die in an NBA that isn’t slowing down any time soon.

“And so our entire team needs to understand this message,” Kerr continued. “And obviously, I’ve given them that message. I’m not sharing it with you guys without sharing it with them, but I want them to hear this too on the radio like, you know, we have to adapt to what the league is doing right now, and that means take care of the ball, handle transition at both ends.

“And if we do that, I love our team. I think we’re going to go places.”

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With Cam Thomas sidelined due to a hamstring strain for the next three to four weeks, the Nets will need other young players to step up and fill the scoring void.

Insert third-year forward Noah Clowney, who came through with 19 points in Friday's 125-107 loss to the Detroit Pistons. It was Clowney's third straight 15-plus point game, as the 21-year-old has started the past three contests for head coach Jordi Fernandez.

After the game, Fernandez spoke highly of Clowney's recent stretch, while acknowledging there is still room for improvement, especially on the defensive end of the floor.

"Noah always takes positive steps. I need him to be better defensively and he knows it," Fernandez said. "His voice needs to grow, embracing the contact, they're playing with the two bigs. Whether you're the low man, whether your communication is on or off the ball, all those things. 

"He's really smart, he's about the right things, he knows it. Like everybody else, need to grow into that fast. I know he will. I like his aggressiveness, how he shot the ball. Got to keep taking, like I said, positive steps."

Clowney went 5 of 13 shooting on Friday night, including 4 of 8 from three-point range with all four makes coming in the first quarter. Across his three recent starts (31 minutes per game), the Alabama product is averaging 17.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.0 steals per game on 44.4 percent shooting from the field, 40 percent from three, and 75 percent from the foul line.

The scoring is a big jump from what he was doing off the bench across the Nets' first six games. Clowney had scored just a total of 26 points (4.3 points per game) over 20 minutes per night prior to starting the past three games.

His hot stretch has also been helpful for rookie guard Egor Demin, who assisted on three of Clowney's four triples. The No. 8 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft believes Clowney can continue being a reliable option with his strong shooting.

"I love him. I think it's really important for me, personally, and for the team, to make sure that he has this confidence to keep shooting, and everybody knows that he can shoot the ball extremely well, as he did today," Demin said.

The Nets will need Clowney to continue scoring at the rate he has as they search for their second win of the season. Brooklyn will take on the crosstown rival Knicks on Sunday evening at MSG in the first of four matchups between the Atlantic Division two teams.

NEW YORK (AP) — Cade Cunningham had 34 points and 10 assists, Jalen Duren added 30 points and 11 rebounds and the Detroit Pistons beat the Brooklyn Nets 125-107 on Friday night in an NBA Cup group opener.

Cunningham was 13 for 18 from the field and made all six of his free throws to help lead Detroit to its fifth straight victory and a 7-2 record. The All-Star point guard has averaged 29.8 points and 11.2 assists while shooting 54 percent from the field during the streak.

Ausar Thompson had 14 points, and Caris Levert added 10 for the Pistons. They have won their last four meetings against Brooklyn.

Michael Porter Jr. scored 28 points for Brooklyn, and Noah Clowney added 19 as the Nets fell to 1-8. They were without Cam Thomas because of a strained left hamstring. He will be reevaluated in three to four weeks.

Detroit fell behind by 10 points in the first quarter and led by five at halftime before Cunningham took over in the third with 14 points as the Pistons had a 34-19 edge in the period.

Cunningham led a 7-0 run with five points to extend the lead to 72-57 with 9:05 left in the period as the Nets called a timeout. He then ignited another 7-0 run with a basket and a free throw before Duren’s dunk capped the spurt to make it 82-65 with 4:04 remaining in the quarter.

Up next

Pistons: At Philadelphia on Sunday night.

Nets: At New York on Sunday night.

 

JJ Redick was already preaching one type of Japanese philosophy, harping to his team about the concept of “kaizen” to improve each day. Off the court, the head coach found inspiration in another Japanese phrase.

Lakers players and coaches have used PechaKucha presentations to facilitate team bonding this season. The slideshows, which come from the Japanese word for chitchat, could be a secret to the team’s hot start as the Lakers (7-2) have won five consecutive games entering a five-game road that starts Saturday in Atlanta at 5 p.m. PST against the Hawks.

The Lakers have pieced together one of the NBA’s most efficient offenses despite injuries keeping LeBron James, Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic in and out of the lineup, relying on a strong team bond that’s developed quickly through an even faster form of communication.

PechaKucha presentations are traditionally 20 slides, each with a photo. The speaker has 20 seconds to explain each slide for a total presentation time of 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

The Lakers' version consists of five slides: where you’re from; favorite basketball memory; person, event or thing that has impacted your life; your non-basketball happy place; and dealer’s choice.

“A lot of times most of the interactions you'll have with your teammates is on the basketball court,” forward Jake LaRavia said. “So it's good to just kind of either learn some stuff about them outside of basketball, like hobbies and stuff like that, where they come from. And that just helps you kind of understand who the person is a little bit better."

Read more:Lakers takeaways: Luka Doncic's defense (yes, defense) helps hold off Spurs

Assistant coach Scott Brooks started his presentation with a photo of a walnut, symbolizing the walnut farm he worked on during the weekends to help his family make ends meet. LaRavia showed a photo of his driveway as the origin of his basketball journey. Doncic spoke about how his daughter Gabriela changed his life.

One coach and one player present, and then they each nominate the next coach or player to go. With about half of the players and coaches left, Redick said he’s already noticing the holdouts actively planning their presentations before their nominations.

“We're just constantly encouraging and empowering our guys to get connected,” Redick said. “I believe if you're connected off the floor, you're connected on the floor. You need buy-in to that. I'm not trying to take credit for my staff here. It's the guys on the team, they're bought into that.”

Doncic, for one, isn’t sold. He deadpanned that he doesn’t think the exercise helps.

Just the fact that Doncic made the joke meant it’s working.

Settled after last season’s jarring trade, the 26-year-old’s personality has started to emerge among his teammates. He is a sarcastic jokester who expresses love for his teammates by threading passes to them through pinhole-sized gaps in the defense and then trash talking them right soon after.

Doncic’s smiling antics, whether he’s trying to sit on Austin Reaves’ lap on the sideline or swishing halfcourt shots in a contest with Reaves, Maxi Kleber and staff members, show just how connected the superstar feels to the team.

“Honestly, the feeling is I'm enjoying, very much, playing with these guys,” Doncic said. “AR [Reaves] can’t play. We're still missing LeBron. So this team has a big potential. But everybody who steps on court, gives maximum, man, everybody. So it's very enjoyable to play.”

Reaves is present on the road trip but will miss a third consecutive game Saturday. The Lakers ruled him out after practice Friday as his right groin injury progressed to a strain after previously being categorized simply as soreness.

James did not make the trip to Atlanta. He progressed to on-court basketball activities this week after missing four weeks because of a sciatica on his right side. He was playing one-on-one with coaches, Redick said. A stint with the South Bay Lakers is on the table, but no decision has been made.

The NBA’s all-time leading scorer hasn’t played a single minute for the Lakers yet. Reaves, averaging 31.1 points and 9.3 assists, has missed the last two wins, and Doncic has played in only half of the games. But the Lakers are still fifth in the NBA in offensive rating.

“It shows how professional we are,” guard Marcus Smart said of the team’s chemistry despite constantly changing personnel. “I think a lot of people, especially who aren't in the brotherhood, they forget that you build a relationship with guys, and then one guy or a couple guys, you get traded and you got to rebuild another one. You don’t understand how tough that is, how much of a toll that takes.”

Just as Smart spoke, Doncic appeared behind the group of reporters, clapping loudly. Then Doncic made sure to put on the record that he would beat Smart at a team-building competition that night. Both smiled as they walked away.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Draymond Green takes blame for Warriors' ‘s—-y' defense in loss: ‘I've failed' originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

DENVER – Draymond Green takes defense personally. It’s his pride and joy, an extension of his growing family.

In a second straight loss without Steph Curry, Green was the Warriors’ best offense in an ugly trouncing from the Denver Nuggets, 129-104, Friday night at Ball Arena.

Green led the Warriors with 17 points and made five 3-pointers, two fewer than the rest of his teammates combined. That was long forgotten, watching how the Nuggets scored with ease against the Warriors.

The only finger Green pointed regarding the Warriors’ defensive letdowns was at himself. 

“I’ve failed,” Green said. “If our defense looks as s—-y as it does, I’ve failed. You can send as many messages as you want. Until we do it, I’m failing them.” 

The Warriors opened the game with a corner three from Green and then forced the Nuggets into a shot clock violation. It was almost all Nuggets the rest of the way. They responded with an immediate 12-0 run, forcing a Golden State timeout. 

Any fire the Warriors came into the game with was quickly extinguished. They trailed by as many as 14 points in the first quarter, 19 in the second, 22 in the third and 28 in the fourth before an eventual 25-point loss. 

Aside from the Warriors starting the second quarter on a 10-0 run to bring the game within one while Nikola Jokić was given his first rest, the Nuggets had almost no problems slicing and dicing a leaky defense. The game became a breeze for Jokić, scoring 26 points on 12-of-15 shooting and 2 of 3 from deep. Even his backup, Jonas Valančiūnas, scored 16 points in 16 minutes, going 6 of 8 from the field and 2 of 3 on threes. 

Jamal Murray’s 23 points came on 8-of-12 shooting and 5 of 7 from three, and Aaron Gordon got up to 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting and was 3 of 4 behind the 3-point line. 

The Nuggets scored at least 30 points in all four quarters, finishing the game with a 56.1 field goal percentage and went 48.5 percent beyond the arc. They dominated around the rim and downtown. Trailing from behind for almost all 48 minutes, the Warriors were called for three more fouls than the Nuggets and saw them take 10 more free throws than them. 

“No. 1, it’s taking the challenge – a personal challenge,” Green said of the Warriors’ defense. “You’ve got to take the personal challenge to guard your man. Then if you get beat, there’s help. But I think right now we’re just relying on the help to beat everyone. When you don’t give effort, then help can’t get there. 

“It starts individually. Everybody must take the challenge individually of guarding their man, and then you build out from there.” 

Clearly, the Warriors have a point-of-attack problem. They’ve seen young players trying to make a name for themself like Ryan Rollins and Quenton Jackson drive downhill right past them in losses, and most recently, a contender in the Nuggets pick them apart without breaking a sweat. They can get back to the drawing board, but it all starts up top. 

Coach Steve Kerr sent a strong statement to his younger players, calling out a lack of purpose and hanging their heads as the problems piled up on them. Green didn’t mince his words, and neither did fellow veteran leader Jimmy Butler. Trayce Jackson-Davis and Quinten Post, a third-year center and a second-year center, respectively, took it upon themselves to follow the words of the team’s leaders. 

“There were multiple guys that came from the bench tonight that were talking about bringing the energy, and sometimes it’s tough,” Post said. “It doesn’t go your way, but the guys are in the right mindset, and this switch will be flipped. We’ll flip the switch. We got to keep bringing it, the fire, and just go out there and we’ll make it work.” 

The schedule has been a battle of its own, mentally and physically. The Warriors already have played 10 games in 18 days, including three back-to-back. And it’s not about to get any easier. 

After a flight home and a day off Saturday, the Warriors play the Indiana Pacers at Chase Center on Sunday, and then they hit the road for a six-game trip that opens with a back-to-back in Oklahoma City and San Antonio. 

“I mean, hell, every game up to this point is supposed to be one to set the tone,” Butler said. “Now what I will say is – and I say this a lot – when you win, everything’s masked and everything is covered up. So if we go out there and win, it’s going to look like we played hard, it’s going to look like we executed.

“Let’s just win, and then we’ll take it from there. Let’s learn from wins instead of from losses.”

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