On Tuesday night, the Miami Heat didn't play like a team with just one win in its last 11 games.
Instead, the Heat spoiled Jimmy Butler's anticipated return to South Beach by making 17 of 25 3-point attempts en route to a 112-86 win over the Warriors at the Kaseya Center.
But, as Draymond Green noted postgame, this isn't a new phenomenon for Golden State. With their decade-long stretch of dominance in the NBA, the Warriors have earned the privilege of getting their opponents' best effort on a routine basis.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
That was especially true for the Heat, who had some added motivation for Butler's first game back in Miami since their dramatic breakup earlier this season.
"We got to make sure that we are approaching every game like we're playing against the best team in the NBA, because that's who teams turn into when they play us," Green told reporters after the game. "They play out of their minds.
" ... It's crazy. But in saying that, it's the NBA. Everybody has got talent, so whether they're a team with a winning record or not, everybody's got talent and can beat you on any night. We got to make sure we figure these games out."
"We got to make sure that we are approaching every game like we're playing against the best team in the NBA, because that's who teams turn into when they play us."
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 26, 2025
Draymond Green explains how the Warriors' mindset must change after tonight's loss to the Heat pic.twitter.com/i2cI53stLp
Golden State Warriors
Find the latest Golden State Warriors news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
With 10 games left in the regular season, the Warriors have several more teams remaining on their schedule that are out of NBA plyoff contention but inevitably want to play spoiler for Golden State's own postseason hopes.
That continues with Friday's upcoming matchup against the 20-53 New Orleans Pelicans, though the Warriors hope to have star guard Steph Curry healthy enough to play then. A pair of contests against the 31-40 San Antonio Spurs and another with the 32-40 Portland Trail Blazers still loom over the next few weeks, too.
Leading the Los Angeles Clippers by just half a game for the Western Conference's No. 6 seed as of Tuesday night, Golden State can't afford to drop any more meetings against sub-.500 opponents in order to avoid the NBA play-in tournament.