In an unfortunate turn of events, Steph Curry landed on what seemed to be his tailbone after making an emergency kick-out pass toward Jonathan Kuminga in the third quarter — a fall coaxed by the fact that Curry was bumped mid-air, a debatable non-call that will certainly renew debates about the whistle he commands from NBA officials. Regardless, he was quickly whisked to the locker room and promptly ruled out for the rest of the game, in what was an unexpectedly difficult matchup against the Toronto Raptors.
With drama levels steadily increasing — from suspense hanging over the air with regard to Curry’s status, to suspense generated by the peskiness of the Raptors — it was left to Jimmy Butler to shoulder the offensive load, supplemented by Draymond Green’s auxiliary skill set and a Golden State Warriors team that had been on a groove defensively ever since Butler first started playing for them.