Butler at the double, double, double

There’s something about the Golden State Warriors right now – a team rolling through opponents with a mix of vintage sharp-shooting and unexpected cameos. Monday night in San Francisco, it wasn’t just Stephen Curry lighting up the scoreboard. Sure, he crept ever closer to the elusive 4,000 career three-pointers mark (just two away now), but this show had plenty of stars sharing the stage.

The Warriors pulled out a 130-120 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, a game that looked wrapped up early but kept fans sweating in the second half. And as much as it was a team effort, it also turned into a personal showcase – and not just for Curry or Gary Payton II.

Warriors’ Butler formula is working

For all the chatter about Golden State’s depth, Payton II stole the first-half spotlight. He nailed four threes – matching a career high – on his way to 16 points before halftime. But Payton wasn’t done. He returned to the court and pushed past his previous career-best of 25 points, finishing with 26, even if the long-range shots dried up after the break.

Not to be outdone, Buddy Hield caught fire from deep, connecting on 6 of 9 three-pointers and racking up 20 points – matching Moses Moody’s tally for the night. If you’re counting, that’s 10 three-pointers combined between Payton and Hield, a stat that kept the Warriors humming on offense.

And, of course, Curry did his part, hitting 5-for-11 from beyond the arc and finishing with 24 points, a quiet night by his standards but still moving him within reach of a 4,000 milestone no NBA player has ever hit.

Portland staying around

You’d think with that barrage of threes, this game would have been over by halftime. But Portland, even on the second night of a back-to-back, refused to go away quietly. Deni Avdija exploded for 34 points and 16 rebounds, adding six assists for good measure. Anfernee Simons wasn’t far behind, dropping 32 points and outshooting everyone from distance with six three-pointers.

Even as Golden State built a 19-point halftime lead (68-49), the Blazers kept closing the gap, pulling within four late in the third quarter and hanging around at 115-106 after a Simons three with under eight minutes to play.

But when Draymond Green nailed a three in response, that was enough to stem the tide. From there, Golden State’s depth - six players in double figures, including Quinten Post’s 11 points, seven boards, and four blocks - held steady to the final buzzer.

Butler making his presence felt

Somewhere in the middle of all this was Jimmy Butler III, doing a bit of everything – and then some. A cool 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists for his second triple-double of the season. Yes, Butler at the double, double, double as the title read.

It’s not every day a player fills the stat sheet like that without dominating the scoring column, but Butler’s fingerprints were on every part of this game. His last triple-double? That came for the Miami Heat in Detroit back in December, so it’s been a minute. But Monday night, he quietly stitched the Warriors’ offense together.

Can the Warriors keep this run going?

Now winners of five straight and 10 of their last 11, the Warriors seem to be getting hot at the right time, even if holding on against the Blazers is hardly a ringing endorsement. If Payton keeps scoring, Hield keeps hitting threes, and Butler keeps quietly stuffing the stat sheet, they’ll be more than Curry’s three-point quest – they’ll be a real postseason threat.

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