Warriors vs 76ers: Golden State Aims to Extend Winning Streak Without Jimmy Butler

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The Golden State Warriors are set to play their first game without Jimmy Butler, who has been ruled out of Saturday night's game against the Philadelphia 76ers due to back spasms. Butler began experiencing back issues after taking a hit from Orlando's Wendell Carter Jr. during the Warriors' 121-115 win over the Magic on Thursday. With Butler in the lineup, the Warriors were 7-1 since acquiring him before the trade deadline, and they have played their best basketball since with him on the floor, winning five straight heading into Saturday.

The Warriors have said their goal is to secure the sixth seed in the playoffs and avoid the play-in, and they went into Saturday's game tied with the Clippers with a 32-27 record. In addition to Butler, the Warriors were missing Jonathan Kuminga, who remains out with an ankle injury but continues to work his way back. The contrast between the Warriors and the 76ers couldn't be more stark, with Philadelphia betting everything on playing big in a league that's been downsizing, while the Warriors continue evolving their small-ball revolution — now with Butler playing the perfect complement to Steph Curry's gravitational pull.

Since acquiring Butler, Golden State has been absolutely humming with a 7-1 record, ranking 6th in offense, 2nd in defense, and 3rd in net rating. Meanwhile, the shattered remains of the Sixers have lost eight straight games and sit 12th in the Eastern Conference, looking less like a basketball team and more like an expensive medical experiment gone horribly wrong. The matchup will feature two franchises that couldn’t be on more divergent paths, with Golden State’s championship core of Curry and Draymond Green hunting their fifth ring together, now with Butler providing the offensive counterpunch they’ve lacked since Kevin Durant departed.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six-plus seasons. The model enters Week 19 of the 2024-25 NBA season on a sizzling 147-106 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning nearly $4,000. Here are the predicted match scores and player statistics:

• Warriors vs 76ers: 110-100
• Stephen Curry: 25 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds
• Tyrese Maxey: 28 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds

The Warriors made a splash when they traded for six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler, and since acquiring him, Golden State has gone 7-1 and climbed to the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference Standings. The Warriors have won their last five games and covered the point spread in each game. Butler, however, is questionable for this one with a back injury, so bettors will want to monitor the injury report. The Sixers have had a disappointing season, but they still have the talent to win on any given night, with Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, and Kelly Oubre Jr. available on Saturday, combining to average 58.4 points per game.