What we learned when the Dubs squandered Steph’s stunning performance in loss to Heat originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX score

SAN FRANCISCO – The term “must-win game” is used with grotesquely overused frequency in sports. The Warriors’ game against the Miami Heat on Tuesday at Chase Center fit that definition.

With Jimmy Butler sidelined by a team suspension, the Heat crawled into the Warriors’ home arena one night after losing in double overtime to the Sacramento Kings. Two nights ago, the Warriors suffered a 30-point loss to the Kings in front of Dub Nation. Tuesday was a game they absolutely couldn’t give up.

But they did it, 114-98.

There were frustrating defeats down the stretch, like the Christmas game and wild finals in Denver and Houston. The Warriors also lost by more points. Between the timing, the opponent, and the constant squandering of Steph Curry’s greatness, there’s nothing better than this loss.

Curry scored a game-high 31 points on 11 of 22 shooting, including 8 of 17 on three-pointers, and had seven rebounds in 33 minutes. The Warriors are now 5-2 in games in which Curry scores 30 or more points this season.

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ second straight loss, which dropped them to 18-18 on the season.

Steph against everyone

Someone tells Curry to grab some cardboard and a black marker and write two words on it: Help Wanted.

Watching Curry, two months after turning 37, go 1-on-5 and have to be guarded like he was in the middle of his unanimous NBA MVP season was unbearable, especially in the first half. Curry scored eight points in the first quarter and 12 points in the second, giving him 20 points on 7 of 12 shooting and 6 of 10 on 3-pointers. The rest of the Warriors were nowhere near his level.

Eight more Warriors saw action by halftime, combining for 28 points while going 12 of 43 from the field (27.9 percent) and 2 of 19 on three-pointers (10.5 percent). Curry’s backcourt mate Dennis Schröder remained scoreless. Andrew Wiggins only provided four points.

Schröder ended up with five points and Wiggins nine. Non-Curry players shot 18.2 percent, 6 of 33, on 3-pointers.

Ray of hope

Because so many of Curry’s teammates were major disappointments, the one who stood out the most was someone who hadn’t shown up in the previous game. The Kings’ star center, Domantas Sabonis, dropped 22 points on 10 of 13 shooting as well as 13 rebounds and seven assists in the Warriors’ resounding loss to Sacramento, a game in which their starting center, Trayce Jackson-Davis, was first We went goalless once this season.

In this difficult performance, Jackson-Davis had more turnovers (three) and fouls (three) than rebounds (two). He made up for that performance against the Heat.

Through three quarters, Jackson-Davis had already scored a season-high 19 points on 9 of 12 shots. In the fourth he didn’t have a single shot attempt.

However, one must acknowledge the aggressiveness of Jackson-Davis, throwing down a poster dunk and later even finding himself chest-to-chest with Terry Rozier.

Turn up The heat

What is Warriors owner Joe Lacob thinking as he shakes his head from his seat on the sidelines? How many texts and calls will general manager Mike Dunleavy make tomorrow? This is the type of loss that causes a poorly run franchise to make a coaching change, even if it was assigned a flawed roster.

The boos came at times, and not just when Heat players were at the free throw line. The fans are fed up. Here’s the reality: The 2025 NBA trade deadline is less than a month away and there isn’t a single move that could save this team.

Trading for the disgruntled Butler is not a desired decision by the Warriors front office for now. Maybe they’ll go a step deeper to balance out their role players and future draft entrants and make the best player in franchise history a difference-maker next to them on the court. Something. Anything.

These warriors are not good enough. But settling for the current product would be nothing but negligence in real time.

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