The Golden State Warriors got their season off to a great start with a win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.
There's also an intriguing subplot underway with the Warriors involving superstars Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler.
The duo revealed postgame that they have a side bet on who will finish the season with a better free throw percentage. The bet is actually between Draymond Green and Butler, according to Butler, but involves the two higher scorers and not the versatile Green's actions.
Good start for Butler, who was an absurd 16-for-16 in the opening win. Curry, for his part, was 8-for-8.
"No chance," Curry told reporters of Butler beating him. "But I like a little game within the game, so game on."
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Butler, for his part, understands the likely outcome.
"Probably a bad bet," he told reporters.
Curry is the NBA's all-time leader in free throw percentage at 91.2%. He shot a league-best 93.3% in 2024-25.
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Butler is no slouch, a career 84.4% free throw shooter. Last season, he was at 84.2%.
The likelihood of guys that far apart flip-flopping over the course of a whole season simply isn't that high.
But if Butler can get to the line for 16 foul shots every night, the Warriors will take that, even if he misses a few here or there.
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