The Mavericks are basically without a big man, and the vibes on these two teams could not be any more opposite with the arrival of Jimmy Butler in Golden State and the still-shocking departure of Luka Doncic in Dallas -- not to mention the subsequent and immediate injury to Anthony Davis. Butler is giving the Warriors a huge boost as a second scorer and high-post facilitator; his ability to get to the free-throw line has made them much harder to guard and gives them an option to buoy their offense in rough shooting patches and non-Curry minutes.

One of the great things about the Jimmy Butler trade is he isn't looking for a long-range shot. He wants to penetrate and kick out and Steph is getting great looks. Steph vs Klay is gonna be a bit of a thing, right? Steph will be putting up 18-20 from behind the arc and he's on a heater right now. He's made 6 or more in 4 straight games and over this in 5 of 7. Warriors just got a lot more difficult to defend. Steve Kerr will use Butler's presence to make like easier for Steph and get more pure looks rather than have to kill his legs to get off low-percentage shots. Steph over this in both games vs Mavs, making 12/25.

I'm buying the Warriors newfound dynamic offense. Steph's erratic shooting not as big a concern with Himmy Butler in the house and already carrying a heavy load. Warriors scored 125+ in three of last four and are 5-3 in last eight games to right their season and overcome a potentially devastating loss at Utah. No AD a big deal for the Mavs here. Could be another hostile home crowd post-Luka trade. How much can Kyrie do here?