Warriors’ revamped bench is changing games and protecting its stars

The Golden State Warriors defeated the Miami Heat 120-100 to secure their sixth consecutive victory, driven by a strong showing from their second unit. Head coach Steve Kerr trusted his bench down the stretch, allowing reserves to close out the fourth quarter on a 13-5 run. Golden State's bench outscored Miami's reserves 53-27, with key contributions coming from Brandon Williams, Charles Bassey, Yaxel Lendeborg, and Georges Niang.

Nathan Hirschi highlights that the revamped reserve group is effectively easing the burden on veterans Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. Through nine games, Golden State's bench has outscored opposing reserves by 8.4 points per contest and ranks second in net rating across the NBA. The strong depth has kept Curry's minutes down to 28.7 per game while allowing Kerr to navigate non-Curry minutes successfully.