SAN FRANCISCO – From the roster through the coaching staff and all the way up to the front office, the Warriors have longed for the kind of tag-team performance delivered Monday night by Jimmy Butler III and Stephen Curry.

They were terrific and timely, the baton going from one to the other, and it led directly to a 120-97 victory over the Orlando Magic.

Unfortunately for the Warriors, Butler, Curry and their dual glories had to share the spotlight with an inglorious moment in the third quarter between Draymond Green and coach Steve Kerr.

“We got into it, obviously,” Kerr said. “And I took the timeout because I thought we lost our focus there a little bit. And we had it out a little bit. And he made his decision to go back to the locker room to cool off.”

It was during the timeout with 8:31 left in the third quarter that matters reached a boiling point. Kerr was facing the bench, within a couple feet of Draymond, and it became clear their blowup was escalating. Green left his seat on the bench and headed into the locker room, with player development coach Anthony Vereen on his heels.

“Tempers spilled over,” Green said. “And I thought it was best that get out of there. I didn’t think it was a situation where it was going to get better. So, it was best to remove myself.”

Though this was not the first or second or third time that Kerr and Green have clashed in their 11-plus years together, this was the most public display. Once Draymond went to the locker room, Kerr basically considered him done for the night.

“Well, he left, he went back to the locker room,” Kerr said. “We moved forward, and the guys played great. They helped win with a really good second half, and I’m very proud of the team.”

Both Kerr and Green insisted that the raw emotions will not linger, and maybe they won’t. They have, again, a history of tempestuous moments and have continued to be supportive of each other.

“We’ve been at this now for a long time,” Green said. “So, sometimes when you’re with people for a long time, there’s a level of comfort, and s–t happens. We move forward.”

“Tempers spilled over, and I just thought it was best that I get out of there.”

Draymond Green shares his side of his tense exchange with Steve Kerr on the Warriors’ bench pic.twitter.com/4wm9OucW0z

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 23, 2025

What can’t be ignored is that this is the second consecutive game Golden State has flourished without Green. After he was ejected in the second quarter Saturday against Phoenix, the Warriors flipped a 10-point deficit into a six-point win. This time, the team’s response was even more emphatic, as they outscored the Magic 54-26 after Green left the game.

“There’s a sense of urgency when he’s not out there because our margin for error goes down without his presence,” Curry said. “So that’s the frustrating part about this whole thing. Being 15-15, we feel like we’re playing better than your record shows because we can respond. We were resilient.

“You know, being able to respond like we have these last two games doesn’t mean anything long term. I don’t know, but it makes it fun, because you have adversity, whether it’s from the other team or something self-inflicted and you’re able to respond the way that you need to, to get a win because it matters. And nobody’s letting go of the rope.

It was Curry and Butler who had the tightest grip on this night. As Curry struggled through an abysmal first half, Butler’s obscene efficiency kept the Warriors afloat against the lengthy and pesky Orlando Magic. He took six shots and turned them into 16 points.

When Curry – who scored eight points on 13 field-goal attempts in the first – came out of halftime with a 15-point third quarter on 6-of-6 shooting, including 3-of-3 from deep. Butler subtly slid over so the franchise player could open the door to a 120-97 victory that put the Warriors back at .500 (15-15).

It was as if Butler and Curry had swapped capes at halftime.

“Two of the best players in the league when we got Jimmy last year, that’s what it looked like,” Kerr said. “Two stars, carrying the team. Draymond at center, holding down the defense. We go 23-8 and win a round in the playoffs. We’ve seen this. It’s just that here in the early part of this season, we haven’t been able to capture that same momentum.

“But I’ve been saying this for weeks. I’m very confident in this group, and I think we’re going to we’re going to find it. And I think you saw, you know what, what that can look like tonight.”

There is a hitch in the comparison to last season’s late surge. Draymond played fewer than 18 minutes, and the Warriors did their best work without him. On a night when Kerr and Green were snapping at each other, Butler and Curry held it down. It worked splendidly in this game. If only that would assure that the next few days and games will be free of drama.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast