The Golden State Warriors are now at the center of that shift. Jimmy Butler III' s season-ending torn ACL comes just as Golden State had found momentum, winning 12 of its last 16 games and posting its best on-court plus-minus with Butler as the connective piece. His absence removes more than just scoring, stripping the team of structure, late-game decision-making and defensive stability.
The Warriors' shooting has reached historic new heights. In a league that has wholeheartedly embraced the long-range shot, no team in NBA history has shot the 3-ball as prolifically as Golden State has over the past week. Yes, that includes the dynastic Warriors teams with Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson all in their late-20s primes.
But on Tuesday nigh t, the Warriors - with some help from their opponent - added one of those records to their collection. Golden State routed the Blazers 119-97 at Chase Center, and when Quinten Post made his first 3-pointer of the night with 35 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, that set a new record for most players to make a 3-pointer in a single game with 21 according to Warriors director of statistical information Daryl Arata. .
SAN FRANCISCO -- Portland Trail Blazers reserve center Yang Hansen walked off the court on his own after a scary collision and head injury midway through the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night. Hansen scrambled for a loose ball under the Blazers' basket with 6:55 remaining and was trying to pass it out when Golden State's Will Richard made contact to the back of Hansen's head with his knee.
If it feels as if Golden State plays Portland every few weeks, there is a reason for that. Counting the preseason, Golden State will be facing the Trail Blazers for the eighth time in the past 12 months. when the teams square off in a game with a rare 8 p.m. start time. Though they have played three times already this regular season, figuring out how to beat the Blazers is something Golden State has yet to do.
SAN FRANCISCO -- The Golden State Warriors are expected to be without Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green for their Friday night home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, sources told ESPN. Green is resting and Curry tweaked his left ankle late in the team's Wednesday afternoon win in Charlotte. Butler wasn't initially listed on the injury report, but popped up on Friday with an illness.
But 2026? Oh, 2026 is special. It's a calendar year stuffed with so much narrative weight it's threatening to create a new fault line. It's the year of last chances and new eras. And star power: Boy, do we have it. Here is what you, the beleaguered, overcharged Bay Area sports fan, have to look forward to. The winter of our discontent The 49ers' annual January ulcer The 49ers are in the playoffs.
The worst aspects of a wretched stretch of Warriors play were on full display in Phoenix on Thursday night. The turnovers, the stagnant possessions, the missed boxouts and slow defensive rotations: the usual suspects of the Warriors' losing skid were accounted for in the second half. And yet, somehow, thanks to more Dillon Brooks shenanigan's and clutch Curry and Butler shotmaking, the Warriors got to lose an 99-98 heartbreaker instead of being blown out for the team's third consecutive loss.