Led by former Heat All-Star forward Jimmy Butler, the Warriors came out strong. Butler scored 13 points in the first quarter to lead the Warriors to a 36-34 first-quarter lead. Despite Butler’s early performance, the Heat did not disappear thanks to former Warrior Andrew Wiggins.
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In his first game back at Chase Center since being traded at the deadline last year, Wiggins scored 18 points in the first half against his former team. With Butler and Wiggins trading baskets, the Warriors were able to cling to a four-point lead at the first-half whistle.
In the third quarter, Chase Center went silent as Butler appeared to suffer a knee injury. Butler landed awkwardly on his right knee and fell to the ground in pain. Butler exited the game and went to the locker room before being ruled out for the rest of the game with a right knee injury. After the game, the Warriors revealed that Butler will undergo an MRI on his knee.
Following Butler’s injury, the Warriors picked up their teammate with a game-changing run. At the time of Butler’s injury, the Warriors had a two-point lead with less than eight minutes left in the third quarter.
The Warriors went on a 12-0 run to take a 15-point lead. Behind their third quarter run and Brandin Podziemski’s fierce finish to the game, the Warriors were able to pull away to win 135-112.
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Podziemski led the Warriors with 24 points on 9-of-19 shooting from the field with a trio of 3-pointers along with six rebounds and four assists in 30 minutes off the bench. Podziemski scored 17 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter.
Along with Podziemski and Butler, the Warriors had five other players in double figures on Monday. Six different players made two or more three-pointers against the Heat’s 24-point three-pointers. The Warriors have made 20 or more 3-pointers in their last four games.
The Warriors have now posted a 6-1 record during their eight-game homestand. The Warriors will conclude their homestand Tuesday in the second leg of a back-to-back against the Raptors.
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This article originally appeared on Warriors Wire: Warriors pull away from Heat for fourth straight win, 135-112