SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors earned their 12th win in 16 tries Monday night in a 135-112 win over the Miami Heat — but all the Warriors’ recent momentum took a huge hit in the third quarter of Monday’s game after Jimmy Butler injured his right knee and had to be helped back to the locker room.
How it happened
The Warriors offense, which has been rolling lately, thanks in part to Butler’s renewed offensive presence over the last month, played tight with Miami until the third quarter, when they finally pulled away for good. The Warriors, playing without Draymond Green (ankle) and De’Anthony Melton (rest), kept running the Heat up and down the floor and got contributions up and down the roster as seven players scored in double figures — led by guard Brandin Podziemski, who scored a game-high 24 points. Butler’s injury changed the tenor of the night as the Warriors, and a sellout crowd inside Chase Center, fell into a stunned silence as Butler was being checked out on the floor.
What this means
On Monday night, the Warriors seemed to rally around Butler’s injury, and everybody picked up a little extra slack — especially without Green and Melton. As the Warriors wait to see what happens with the results of the testing on Butler’s knee, the fascinating question in the short term becomes, does anything change in Jonathan Kuminga’s situation? Kuminga, who hasn’t played since Dec. 18, recently demanded a trade, ESPN initially reported. His lingering status has hovered over the Warriors’ season — since prolonged contract negotiations last summer. Kuminga respectfully declined to comment to The Athletic when asked about his situation before Monday’s game. The reality, if Butler’s injury is serious, is the Warriors could use Kuminga’s size and athleticism — but there appears to be so many hard feelings on both sides, it remains to be seen whether the relationship is salvageable — even in the wake of a potentially season-altering injury.
Moment of the night
Before the game, and Butler’s injury, former Warrior and current Heat swingman Andrew Wiggins got a standing ovation from the Chase Center crowd. A tribute video was played, which included heartfelt words from former teammates, Steve Kerr and Wiggins’ two daughters. Wiggins, who was part of the trade that brought Butler to the Warriors, will always be remembered fondly for his time in the Bay. Wiggins was the second-best postseason player on the Warriors’ title team in 2022 — he ranked second on the Warriors in rebounds (7.5), fourth in scoring average (16.5) and tied Draymond Green for the team lead in blocks per game (1.0), according to NBA.com. How big was his impact? The Warriors net rating also swung a team-high 14.4 points per 100 possessions when Wiggins played in the 2022 playoffs.
Wiggins is also a walking reminder that putting a talented player in the right basketball culture can produce championship-level results. Kerr was effusive in his praise of Wiggins before the game, and it’s clear many within the organization still care about him and the impact he made — as evidenced by the warm reception he received.
Once a Dub, forever family.
Welcome back to Warriors Ground, Andrew 💛 pic.twitter.com/GIiiW5XoY6
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) January 20, 2026
Stat of the game
The Warriors bench scored 66 points — including a late 3 by two-way guard L.J. Cryer — who played in his first regular-season NBA game.
What’s next?
The Warriors are right back at it Tuesday night against the Toronto Raptors — which is the last game of their eight-game homestand.