Stable Butler, 'matured' Kuminga lift Warriors

LOS ANGELES -- An hr aft lifting the Warriors to a connection 119-109 roadworthy win implicit the Lakers connected Tuesday to unfastened his 15th play successful the NBA, Jimmy Butler revealed a questionable stake helium made with teammate Draymond Green.

Butler wagered Green that helium volition decorativeness this play with a amended escaped propulsion percent than Stephen Curry, statistically the top escaped propulsion shooter successful NBA past (91.1%).

"I don't deliberation it's a atrocious bet," Butler said. "But it's kinda a atrocious bet."

Butler missed the past 3 Warriors preseason games due to the fact that of a sprained ankle helium suffered successful a grooming campy practice. Cleared successful the days starring up to the opener, helium started his play with force, scoring 12 points successful 9 archetypal 4th minutes. Seven of those came from the escaped propulsion line.

He finished the nighttime with a team-high 31 points and a 16-of-16 nighttime from the line, the astir escaped throws without a miss successful a crippled for a Warriors subordinate since Rick Barry successful 1975.

"He was the crushed we became a bully squad past year," Warriors manager Steve Kerr said. "He provides that stability, that quality to get fouled, spell to the enactment and settee the crippled down."

Prior to Butler's accomplishment successful February, the Warriors changeable the fewest escaped throws successful the NBA. After the trade, they had the highest escaped propulsion rate. That was a large portion of an contiguous translation that rocketed the Warriors from the lottery into the 2nd circular of the playoffs, giving them beardown interior content successful their quality to contend this season.

"He conscionable controls the crippled retired determination for us," Kerr said of Butler. "We request that. We've ever been astatine our champion erstwhile we tin supply the enactment for Draymond and Steph's chaos with stability. The chaos is truly powerful, but it tin get distant from us. Jimmy settles america down."

The Warriors outscored the Lakers by 20 points successful Butler's 35 minutes. They were outscored by 10 points successful the 13 minutes helium rested.

"The game's easy," Butler said. "Everybody pays attraction to Steph. I person the casual job."

Curry didn't person a spectacular stat enactment successful the opener -- 23 points, 3 3s, 4 assists -- but helium deed the moonball dagger from 35 feet retired with 51 seconds left, had an important spurt precocious successful the 2nd 4th and made each 8 of his escaped throws, keeping him successful enactment with Butler's 100% accuracy complaint done 1 game.

Butler is simply a vocation 84.3% escaped propulsion shooter. He reached 87% during his 30 Warriors games past season. That's elite, but inactive not successful the vicinity of Curry, who learned of Butler's escaped propulsion stake during his postgame interview.

"No chance," Curry said of Butler's odds. "But I similar a small crippled wrong the game. So crippled on."

The subplot connected this nighttime for the Warriors came astatine the starting powerfulness guardant position. After a summertime of declaration drama, Jonathan Kuminga was rewarded with a starting accidental to unfastened his 5th play pursuing a beardown grooming campy and preseason.

Kuminga's archetypal fractional included a fewer of the rushed midrange shots and in-traffic turnovers that often frustrate Kerr and person led to his benching. But Kerr said helium appreciated the mode Kuminga acknowledged the atrocious plays with a question to the seat and adjusted his attack successful the 2nd half.

"I deliberation he's really, truly matured," Kerr said. "I deliberation helium has a amended consciousness of what's needed present compared to past years. Jimmy has truly helped him too. Jimmy has talked to him a batch during camp, taken him speech during practices. Remember, Jonathan conscionable turned 23."

Kuminga had 13 third-quarter points, including 3 3s and a backdoor chopped utilizing Curry's gravity connected a slipped screen. Kuminga's 4 3s tied a vocation high. His six assists were 1 shy of a vocation high. His 9 rebounds included an violative rebound successful the last series that had the locker country buzzing postgame.

"That rebound is what everyone successful the satellite has been waiting to see," Green said. "You person that athleticism, you spell marque bi...