".500 demons are back" - NBA fans troll Warriors after Jimmy Butler and Steph Curry-led team face 1st loss in new era

The revamped Golden State Warriors, now led by the new scoring tandem of Jimmy Butler and Steph Curry, suffered their first defeat since acquiring the former Miami Heat star, falling 111-107 to an injury-ravaged Dallas Mavericks squad on Wednesday.

Butler finished with 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting, while Curry recorded 25 points on 9-of-23 shooting. The loss to a Mavericks team missing a traditional center sparked plenty of reactions from fans.

Some took jabs at the Warriors’ ongoing struggle to break away from a .500 record, as the defeat dropped them to 27-27. Others pointed fingers at Butler and Curry’s miscues in the closing moments — Curry split a pair of free throws that could have given Golden State the lead with 37 seconds remaining, and Butler committed an offensive foul on the next possession.

“Warriors really just lost cuz steph missed a free throw and jimmy turned the ball over in the clutch 😂😂 the .500 demons are BACK,” a fan said.

“Steph curry the greatest ft shooter ever missed the biggest clutch ft of the game to lose the game. Frauds again, they finally face a decent team since Jimmy got there and lose,” another said.

“Warrior fans are complaining about the refs and I get it, but bro, Steph missed a FT that could've put them up 1, Podz turned down an easy dump pass to Jimmy on a fast break that could've given them the lead, and Jimmy had an offensive foul that could've tied or won the game,” another commented.

Meanwhile, other fans blamed the loss on lineup decisions and officiating.

“We were poor tonight and the refs sucked but why did Buddy Hield play 30 mins 😭😭,” one Warriors fan said.

“WHY WOULD YOU NOT PLAY POST OR TJD??!” another said.

“I HATE THESE REFS THE LEAGUE IS SO RIGGED IM SO DONE THIS TEAM IS SO TRASH,” another added.

Kyrie Irving drops 42 to lead shorthanded Mavericks past Warriors

Kyrie Irving erupted for 42 points to power the Dallas Mavericks — who were without all their centers — to a hard-fought victory. He shot 15-of-25 from the field, drained seven 3-pointers and grabbed seven rebounds as he shouldered the scoring load.

Klay Thompson contributed 17 points, including five 3-pointers, to help defeat his former team, while Max Christie also added 17.

Off the Mavericks’ bench, Naji Marshall and Brandon Williams chipped in with 10 and 12 points, respectively.