SAN FRANCISCO – In multiple plays that likely puzzled Warriors fans Sunday night, Jimmy Butler sliced his way to the rim and … threw the ball back out to the perimeter in Golden State’s 114-83 victory over Indiana.
The usual target of his high-speed dimes?
None other than Al Horford, who entered Sunday mired in a bit of a shooting slump. He had not made a 3-pointer since Oct. 30, and went 0-for-7 in his last game at Sacramento on Wednesday.
Not that it mattered to Butler, who recognized and appreciated all of the less flashy things Horford has still brought to the game.
“As great of screens as he sets for me, and protecting everybody at the rim and making all the right plays, whenever he’s open, he gets the ball for sure,” Butler said.
Horford rewarded Butler’s faith repeatedly. Each of the 39-year-old center’s four 3-point makes came off Butler assists.
“Jimmy, right away, made it a clear point to look for me,” Horford said. “He had a few times where he had layups. He was still looking to kick it out and encouraging me to shoot the ball. The passes, you know, they were on the money.”
His buckets were not the only part of Horford’s game that was “on the money.”
He also made an outsized defensive impact in his 18 minutes, blocking three shots and stymying Indiana’s shorthanded offense with his activity in the passing lanes.
Horford was, simply and emphatically, answering the call made by his more vocal frontcourt partner.
“After last game, Draymond (Green) challenged us to be better and come out with more intensity, better energy,” Horford said. “I feel like we did that today and it’s something that we have to do every day, every game.”
During the Warriors’ 10-0 run to break the game open at the end of the third quarter, Horford made a 3-pointer and anchored the defense after subbing in for Green.
It was the kind of all-around excellence the team likely envisioned Horford providing when the team signed him as a free agent this summer. Though no longer capable of playing 30-plus minutes like he did as an All-Star in Atlanta and Boston a decade ago, he is capable of impacting a game in short bursts.
He was plus-9 in his limited minutes, also grabbing four rebounds to go along with his dozen points. After sitting out Friday’s game in Denver with a left foot injury, Horford appeared as healthy as ever.
“I feel good today,” Horford said. “I feel much better, and it was just good to be out there.”
As has been the case all season, Horford will not play both ends of the upcoming back-to-back in Oklahoma City and San Antonio, but he did not reveal which game he would participate in.
Should he suit up in Oklahoma City, Horford will give the frontcourt a boost against the defending champions as the Warriors (6-5) begin a six-game road trip Tuesday night (5 p.m., NBC Sports Bay Area).
“OKC, they’re playing at home, they play really well, defending champs,” Horford said. “So we can’t even think about the rest of it, just have to focus on that first one. That’s going to be great to see kind of where we’re at as a group.”