Basketball is a game of runs, but sometimes it’s a game of depth you didn’t know you had. Honestly, if you looked at the injury report before the latest Golden State Warriors game against the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night, you might’ve been worried. Jimmy Butler—the high-profile mid-season acquisition from Miami—was a late scratch for personal reasons.
Usually, when a star like Butler sits, the air leaves the balloon. Not this time.
The Warriors didn't just win; they dismantled Charlotte 136-116 at Chase Center. It was a clinic. They never trailed. Not for a single second. For a team that has been hovering around the .500 mark and sitting 8th in the Western Conference, this wasn't just another notch in the win column. It felt like a statement about what this specific roster can actually do when the ball is moving.
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The De’Anthony Melton Explosion
Most people want to talk about Steph Curry every morning. We get it. He’s the GOAT for a reason. But the real story of the latest Golden State Warriors game was De’Anthony Melton.
He came off the bench and basically played out of his mind. 24 points. 8-of-16 from the floor. He was a +21 in just 21 minutes of action. Think about that efficiency for a second. Melton has been the "glue guy" all season, but with Butler out, he stepped into a scoring void and looked like a primary option.
It’s funny because Melton had a rough outing against the Knicks just a couple of nights prior. To bounce back with a season-high when the team needed it most is exactly why Mike Dunleavy Jr. brought him in. He’s proving to be one of the most underrated pickups of the summer.
Draymond Green Found the Fountain of Youth
Draymond Green scoring 20 points is usually a sign that the other team messed up their scouting report. The Hornets played off him, sagging into the paint to try and keep Steph from living at the rim.
Big mistake.
Green hit his first three shots. He finished 4-of-8 from deep. When Draymond is hitting triples, the Warriors are essentially unbeatable. It creates this impossible math problem for defenses. If you close out on Draymond, the lane opens for Kuminga. If you stay home, Draymond just keeps firing. He finished with 20 points, 6 assists, and a level of aggression we haven't seen consistently this year.
Eight Players in Double Figures
This is the stat that should scare the rest of the West. Eight guys.
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- De’Anthony Melton: 24 points
- Draymond Green: 20 points
- Brandin Podziemski: 16 points (plus a team-high 7 assists)
- Stephen Curry: 14 points
- Buddy Hield: 14 points
- Moses Moody: 12 points
- Al Horford: 11 points
- Will Richard: 11 points
Steph Curry only scoring 14 points in a 20-point blowout is almost unheard of. Usually, if Steph has a "quiet" night, the Warriors are struggling to break 100. Instead, they dropped 136. They hit 23 three-pointers as a team. Ten different players made at least one shot from behind the arc.
It was a total team effort.
The ball wasn't sticking. No one was hunting for their own stats. It was "Strength in Numbers" 2.0. Even the rookie Will Richard, who got the start in Butler's place, looked comfortable. He didn't overplay his hand; he just took what the defense gave him.
What This Means for the Standings
The Warriors moved to 24-19 with this win. They’ve won three in a row at Chase Center.
There’s been a lot of noise lately about the "dysfunction" in the organization, especially with the rumors surrounding Jonathan Kuminga’s trade request and that heated exchange between Steve Kerr and Draymond earlier this month. But winning cures everything.
They are currently sitting in that 8th spot, but the gap between them and the top six is shrinking. If they can maintain this level of bench production, they aren't just a Play-In team. They’re a problem.
The Jimmy Butler Factor
The elephant in the room is how the team looked without Jimmy Butler. Look, Butler is a future Hall of Famer. You want him on the floor in May and June. But sometimes his ball-dominant style can slow down the Warriors' natural motion offense.
Against Charlotte, the pace was faster. The 30.9 assists per game they’ve been averaging over their last ten games was on full display. Steve Kerr has a difficult balancing act ahead. He has to figure out how to integrate Butler’s elite isolation scoring and defense without losing the "death by a thousand passes" identity that worked so well against the Hornets.
Looking Ahead: The Heat are Coming
The Warriors don't have much time to celebrate. They host the Miami Heat on Monday night. It’s a huge game.
The Heat are also fighting for positioning in the Eastern Conference, sitting at 22-20. It will also be the first time Butler faces his former team since the trade, assuming he’s back from his personal absence.
If you’re looking for a takeaway from the latest Golden State Warriors game, it’s this: don’t count out the old guard yet. Between Steph’s gravity, Draymond’s resurgent shooting, and a bench that is suddenly deep enough to swallow teams whole, the Warriors are finding their rhythm at exactly the right time.
Watch the rotation patterns on Monday. If Kerr continues to lean on Melton and Podziemski for heavy minutes alongside the veterans, it’s a clear sign he’s finally found the lineup combinations that work. Keep an eye on the injury report for Gui Santos as well; his ankle injury has thinned the wing depth slightly, making the play of Moses Moody even more critical in the coming week.