Warriors take 'bad loss,' in Draymond Green's words, to Hawks behind Trae Young's 25 points
The Golden State Warriors are battling to hold the No. 6 spot in the Western Conference standings and avoid the play-in tournament. But a 124-115 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night leaves them only a half-game ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Stephen Curry was out for the Warriors after suffering a pelvic contusion in Thursday's win over the Toronto Raptors. He returned to Golden State's lineup after sitting out Tuesday's victory against the Milwaukee Bucks for rest.
"Bad loss," Green told reporters afterwards, via NBC Sports Bay Area. "It's a terrible loss. When you're in a position we're in, we've got a chance to compete for something."
"Eleven games left with everything to play for, you shouldn't have a loss like this," he added. "Too much on the line. Got to win the games you're supposed to win. Obviously, Steph's out. Still a game we should win. So, it's a terrible loss."
Georges Niang's got the hot hand in Atlanta tonight 🎯His 6th 3PM builds on the Hawks lead in the 4Q on NBA TV! pic.twitter.com/jIzmazQu8K
— NBA (@NBA) March 23, 2025
The Hawks were led by Trae Young's 25 points and 10 assists. Georges Niang added 23, shooting 6-for-9 on 3-pointers, followed by 22 points, 12 rebounds and six assists from Onyeka Okongwu. Atlanta also got 11 rebounds and three steals from Dyson Daniels, strengthening his case for NBA defensive player of the year honors.
The win was an important one for the Hawks to stay 1.5 games ahead of the Orlando Magic for the No. 7 spot in the East. Atlanta led 107-85 with 8:35 left in the fourth quarter, but let the Warriors whittle the deficit down to eight points with a minute remaining. Young hit a floater with 25 seconds left to clinch the win.
In Curry's absence, Jimmy Butler III scored 25 points with eight assists, followed by Moses Moody with 20. Brandin Podziemski added 19 points, hitting 5-of-8 3-pointers.
Up next for the Warriors is a visit to Miami on Tuesday and Butler facing the team that traded him after a contentious summer and first four months of the season. Butler dismissed the notion that playing the Heat will be a big game and whatever narratives will develop beforehand.
"Yeah, I was traded from there, yada, yada, yada," Butler said after Saturday's game, via ESPN.com. "Yeah, it didn't end the way that people wanted to, yada yada yada.
"But that's so far behind me now. I don't even think about it," he continued. "I don't pay attention to nothing except for the trajectory of this squad."
Butler is arguably in a better position with the Warriors now. They'll make the playoffs and still have an opportunity to move up in the standings. Meanwhile, the Heat are still in the Eastern Conference play-in mix, holding the No. 10 seed. But they've lost 10 consecutive games and 11 of 12.
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