Despite the final score showing a dominant 114-83 win for the Golden State Warriors over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night at Chase Center, the game itself was far from smooth. The pace was slow, but in the end, methodical basketball paid off for the home team.
The Pacers entered the matchup weighed down by a long injury list, having just played the Denver Nuggets the night before. Their only win of the 2025-26 NBA season had come against a short-handed Warriors squad, but this time fatigue clearly took its toll.
Golden State’s early performance lacked energy, with much of the roster appearing to be on autopilot until late in the third quarter. The momentum shifted sharply at the start of the fourth, when the Warriors executed a huge 39-18 run to secure the blowout victory.
Jimmy Butler carried the offense and came close to recording a triple-double. In just 30 minutes of play, he accumulated 21 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists while posting a plus-19 rating.
“Jimmy Butler was the Warriors’ offense, and he nearly put together a triple-double.”
Veteran center Al Horford, at 39 years old, delivered his best game since joining Golden State. He ended a shooting slump that had seen him go 0-for-7 from three-point range earlier in November, including a 0-for-2 performance in the previous loss to Indiana.
Author’s summary: Patient execution and veteran leadership helped the Warriors overpower an exhausted Pacers team, proving teamwork trumps star absence.