The Warriors needed a reassuring game not for themselves -- as their faith never really wavers -- but for the anxious segments of their fan base and perhaps a few skeptics around the NBA.
They got such a game Friday night in Milwaukee.
A 105-95 victory over a Bucks team that ravaged the Warriors four weeks ago in Oakland served notice that the defending champs still have the capacity to survive their own imperfections and wallop a high-quality team on its own floor.
Beneath the pretty 3-point shooting (19-of-46, 41.3 percent) and the exemplary ball movement (32 assists on 40 field goals) was a defense that squeezed and scratched and scuffled the Bucks into the longest night of their impressive season.