LOS ANGELES — An hour after lifting the Warriors to a statement 119-109 road win over the Lakers on Tuesday to open his 15th season in the NBA, Jimmy Butler revealed a questionable bet he made with teammate Draymond Green.
Butler wagered Green that he will finish this season with a better free throw percentage than Stephen Curry, statistically the greatest free throw shooter in NBA history (91.1%).
“I don’t think it’s a bad bet,” Butler said. “But it’s kind of a bad bet.”
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Butler missed the last three Warriors preseason games because of a sprained ankle he suffered in a training camp practice. Cleared in the days leading up to the opener, he started his season with force, scoring 12 points in nine first quarter minutes. Seven of those came from the free throw line.
He finished the night with a team-high 31 points and a 16-of-16 night from the line, the most free throws without a miss in a game for a Warriors player since Rick Barry in 1975.
“He was the reason we became a good team last year,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “He provides that stability, that ability to get fouled, go to the line and settle the game down.”
Prior to Butler’s arrival in February, the Warriors shot the fewest free throws in the NBA. After the trade, they had the highest free throw rate. That was a major part of an immediate transformation that rocketed the Warriors from the lottery into the second round of the playoffs, giving them strong internal belief in their ability to contend this season.
“He just controls the game out there for us,” Kerr said of Butler. “We need that. We’ve always been at our best when we can provide the support for Draymond and Steph’s chaos with stability. The chaos is really powerful, but it can get away from us. Jimmy settles us down.”
The Warriors outscored the Lakers by 20 points in Butler’s 35 minutes. They were outscored by 10 points in the 13 minutes he rested.
“The game’s easy,” Butler said. “Everybody pays attention to Steph. I have the easy job.”
Curry didn’t have a spectacular stat line in the opener — 23 points, three 3s, four assists — but he hit the moonball dagger from 35 feet out with 51 seconds left, had an important spurt late in the second quarter and made all eight of his free throws, keeping him in line with Butler’s 100% accuracy rate through one game.
Butler is a career 84.3% free throw shooter. He reached 87% during his 30 Warriors games last season. That’s elite, but still not in the vicinity of Curry, who learned of Butler’s free throw bet during his postgame interview.
“No chance,” Curry said of Butler’s odds. “But I like a little game within the game. So game on.”
The subplot on this night for the Warriors came at the starting power forward position. After a summer of contract drama, Jonathan Kuminga was rewarded with a starting opportunity to open his fifth season following a strong training camp and preseason.
Kuminga’s first half included a few of the rushed midrange shots and in-traffic turnovers that often frustrate Kerr and have led to his benching. But Kerr said he appreciated the way Kuminga acknowledged the bad plays with a wave to the bench and adjusted his approach in the second half.
“I think he has really, really matured,” Kerr said. “I think he has a better sense of what’s needed now compared to past years. Jimmy has really helped him too. Jimmy has talked to him a lot during camp, taken him aside during practices. Remember, Jonathan just turned 23.”
Kuminga had 13 third-quarter points, including three 3s and a backdoor cut using Curry’s gravity on a slipped screen. Kuminga’s four 3s tied a career high. His six assists were one shy of a career high. His nine rebounds included an offensive rebound in the final sequence that had the locker room buzzing postgame.
“That rebound is what everyone in the world has been waiting to see,” Green said. “You have that athleticism, you go make big plays. You have superstar potential, you go make big plays. Those are game-winning plays. When you ask for opportunity, you must deliver. He’s been very vocal about his opportunity, and he delivered.”
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