With 5:31 left in a tight game, Stephen Curry shook Tyler Herro with a left-to-right crossover and canned a 3-pointer. When Miami called a timeout, the Heat trailing 108-100, Curry slammed his chest with both fists.
The Chase Center crowd, already risen to its feet, loved it.
Curry added another 3 and a stepback 2 over Herro in the closing minutes, finishing off the Heat.
If the loss in Phoenix felt intense, it was for the wrong reasons. The Suns dropped 70 in a half. Klay Thompson got ejected.
But Thursday’s contest against Miami had a more pure competitive spirit. None of the first three quarters were decided by more than three points. There were eight lead changes and five ties. Both teams played hard on both ends — consistent with their reputations.
Curry (33 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds) led the Warriors (3-2) to an impressive 123-110 victory. Klay Thompson hit a season-high five 3s, leading an offensive attack that overcame 21 turnovers.
Here are three takeaways from Golden State’s win.
Death Lineup tribulation
The Warriors are going to be experimenting with lineups all season, mixing and matching personnel in search of the right five-man combinations.
But one unit may matter above all the rest: this year’s version of the Death Lineup.
Throughout the Warriors’ dynasty, there have been various iterations of what’s commonly known as the death lineup. The main characteristic is Draymond Green at center and the four most potent scorers around him.
This season, it’ll be Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins and Green that Steve Kerr goes to in crunch time.
The group had played 16 minutes before Thursday, registering a -2.3 plus-minus. It’s too early in the season to make grand conclusions, but the configuration has historically been a major weapon for Golden State so that outcome is surprising.
Against the Heat, the five closed out the last 4:56 of the first half. A run pushed a five-point lead to a game-high 13 as Wiggins cleaned up a missed Curry transition 3 with a ridiculous second-hop putback.
But then the Heat responded with a 9-0 run. Kyle Lowry and Jimmy Butler drilled 3s, and Butler leaked out for an and-1 layup.
The Warriors closed the game with Looney in at center, leaving Poole on the bench. That five, led by Curry, got it done.
Draymond Green, coming out swinging
Not only has Draymond Green been one of Golden State’s only consistently strong defenders, he’s played with a purpose and athleticism that sometimes wanes.
In the second quarter, he took one dribble after a pocket pass from Stephen Curry before lifting off for an and-1 dunk in traffic. A couple possessions later, he faked a handoff — a staple of the Warriors’ dynamic offense — to Curry before beelining for the rim.
He still plays reckless at times; he made two ill-advised hit-ahead passes that got intercepted. But turnovers are part of the bargain with Green, and the Warriors will reckon with them if he’s committing them while trying to be aggressive.
He showed why Golden State puts up with the opportunism when he found Kevon Looney under the basket with a touch pass late in the fourth quarter.
Green recorded 10points, seven boards and three assists in the game. The numbers don’t jump off the box score, but Green is averaging 9.6 points per game through five — he hasn’t averaged double-digits since the 2017-18 season.
Maybe it’s the self-imposed offseason drama, maybe it’s the contract year, maybe it’s just his normal competitive spirit, but Green has a pep in his step.
Jimmy Butler, 3-point gunner
As defending champions, the Warriors are going to get their opponents’ best punch every night. They’re still learning exactly what that means.
With Butler, one of the most competitive players in the league, it’s obvious when he senses a game might matter a bit more. When the stakes are higher, he takes more 3s.
Butler hasn’t averaged more than 2.1 3-point attempts per game since he joined Miami in the regular season. But in the postseason, he averaged 3.8 in the 2020-21 and 4.0 last year.
His percentages aren’t elite and it’s a curious trend — but a trend nonetheless. Against Golden State, Butler chucked seven triples, hitting four. He finished with 27 points, eight assists and six rebounds, but only one point in the fourth quarter.