The Warriors expect six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler will return from his deep gluteal muscle contusion in Game 4 of their ongoing series against Houston, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link). A source informs Slater that Butler took part in an on-court workout ahead of the team’s eventual Game 3 victory against Houston on Saturday. He was held out so that his body could better recuperate, but the team is hoping he will return for Game 4 on Monday.
Butler suffered the injury during a scary fall early into Game 2, and has been sidelined ever since. Golden State has gone 1-1 without him.
On Saturday, ESPN’s Shams Charania told colleague Malika Andrews (Twitter video link) that Butler had “no mobility” on Saturday, which ultimately led to the team’s decision to sit him.
Head coach Steve Kerr, meanwhile, indicated that he considers Butler officially day-to-day, and has no idea whether or not the star forward will play, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN (via Twitter).
There’s more out of Golden State:
- With Butler shelved, Warriors guard Buddy Hield stepped up to help the club secure a Game 3 home win, Slater writes in another piece. An eight-point Hield run in the second quarter helped stabilize Golden State heading into the halftime break. He ultimately finished with 17 points and a plus-14 mark across 29 minutes of action. “I knew Robin was out, so I had to step up,” Hield said, referencing Butler’s repeated suggestion that he is the Robin to All-NBA guard Stephen Curry‘s Batman. “I had to be Alfred.”
- Stephen Curry was the star of the show for the Warriors in Game 3 on Saturday, Youngmisuk writes for ESPN.com. The two-time league MVP took it upon himself to score more against a tough Rockets defense, notching 25 of his 36 total points in the second and third quarters to propel his team to a 104-93 victory. “He’s one [of the] greatest players of all time,” Kerr said. “He’s 37. He’s one of the most well-conditioned athletes I’ve ever seen in my life. To play 41 minutes against that kind of defense, to have a slow start and then find his rhythm, which we have seen him do countless times over the years, to hit big shots, to only turn it over twice against that kind of pressure, he was brilliant.”
- In case you missed it, Rockets forward Dillon Brooks defended teammate Amen Thompson‘s play on Butler that led to his injury.
I have a feeling the Rockets are going to come out with a very physical game on Monday. They’re not going let some 37-year-old senior citizen beat them again.
They will also try to get into Greymond’s head for technical fouls.
The problem is that the Warriors are better at the cat and mouse game than the young Rockets are. Warriors have been here 100 times and for many of these rockets it’s the first time on this stage.
Any uptick in bumping and bruising will backfire in the Rocket’s lap and they’ll crash and burn again, as in game three.
Gary, did you not see the post-game scuffle? Draymond and Steph are already way, way, way far inside their heads. G3 was Houston’s chance to prove that wasn’t true, and they failed by every metric. Now Jimmy comes back and GSW goes from being second round exit to legit title contenders again.
Remember when posters on here said the Dubs window was closed? Nope, we got 5+ years left of this!
They already been trying to get Green kicked out but so far it has cost them. Brooks tried to injure Curry by going after his bad thumb. Will they go after Butler and try to knock him to the ground. Rockets are in desperation mode.
Steph Curry really is the best player of all-time. There’s no argument. He stopped the bleeding of the prior game and in the first half of G3 and singlehandedly won G3. At 37.
He’s not even slowing down. Now there’s another legit 2nd star (Jimmy) next to Steph, instead of a phony one (Wiggins), they are back to 2017 vibes again. If they keep everyone and get Melton again, they are going to win 70+ next year.
This is a joke, right? I love curry as much as anyone but he wasn’t even the best player on two of his championship teams. I’ll take it as a given that you’re just ridiculously hyperbolic.
Steph was absolutely the most important and best player on all 4 of his title-winning teams. Anyone who believes otherwise simply does not know ball.
Source:
Stephen Curry was double-teamed 40 times vs KD’s 2 in the 2018 NBA Finals.
Good night.
Lmao, is that meant to be a mic drop??? What a clown. That literally made me laugh out loud at you.
Hold your lil bro, you dont know ball!
Because you dont think that ends the convo, you are beyond saving, you will just continually cope and seethe and lie til you think youve “won” this argument that you lost here, lil bro. Muting you forever because you refuse to face the facts. Bye!
Huh?
lol, there you go again Davey. Beefing with everyone. They can’t all be wrong.
I love chat room drama.
You’re as old as Draymond, they don’t call them chat rooms anymore.
Bus riders are by definition not actually “best players”. KD’s voted awards don’t change that fact.
Agreed!!! To an extent. Durant was the best player on the team, Steph and the core were the heart and soul. It’s undeniable that Durant was the best player on the team. I HATE KD, but he was spectacular those two seasons.
KD was better, agreed. Curry way more likable though.
Best player is merely your opinion.
Leadership and gravity matter far more IMO.
Dubs in 6! Butler returning will add more fuel for the Warriors to handle business.
It’s a very hard series to root for either team…
I know you don’t like Butler too much and I think everyone on the planet, including a lot of warrior fans like me can’t stand Greymond.
But you have to respect a player like Curry who is self-made and was not a super athlete coming into the league. And the coach is very respectable isn’t he? Where do you stand on those two?
Curry is a top 10 player of all time and a top 3 most likable. You’re blessed to have had him on your team all these years. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love Steph curry.
Sounds like Davey has a new alias.
“Curry who is self-made”
I’m not 100% sure what you mean by this but his father literally played in the NBA. Steph is the opposite of self-made in that regard.
Have to feel for Dell with the lack if respect on show around here…
You are the one that shows a complete lack of respect for Del Curry. He gets it constantly.
Yes, it’s true. His father played in the NBA but we all know that’s no guarantee of success.
It may help you get looked at but if you have no game you’re not invited.
I guess by self made I mean that physically he’s not an athletic guy. He was sort of small by NBA standards and didn’t weigh a lot and wasn’t that strong. He was just a skinny little kid coming into the league.
All of the skills curry brings to the table are things someone works on and learns and develops on their own time spent in the gym, and not God-given ability like jumping running Quickness or speed.
So self-made means his handles are something he worked on hour after hour, and his shooting is another thing he’s worked on hour after hour. So with those two things he’s become a great player and he’s become a great player by working on his game.
Another note is even though he was Del Curry’s son, because he was a scrawny little kid He didn’t get any major college scholarship offers. On the other side of the coin, Steph’s brother Seth DID receive benefit and went to Duke because he could shoot a little bit and he was Steph Curry‘s brother lol.
Hope this all makes sense but yeah, I understand your viewpoint on being Dell Curry’s son gets him in the door.
Curry is “self made” insofar as he made himself into the most unique player in nba history. Dell curry literally “made” him I guess, lol, but Steph’s game doesn’t resemble his dad’s. Steph beefed up that body, spent the gazillion hours shooting and dribbling… he’s self made in that he has an ordinary nba body that he has managed to do extraordinary things with. He wasn’t blessed with a LeBron or KD or Wemby body, he’s average in every sense physically.
Excellent. You explained it a lot better than I did. And with less words !!
It’s way past time for GSW to get some fair officiating in a game in this series. I hope it finally happens in game 4.
If Jimmy plays, he’ll get a lot of his phantom calls in game four.
With the way the Rockets constantly foul, they won’t be phantom calls.
Best thing Warriors did. Was take out Jalen. He wasn’t going for 30 again. Green has to adjust. If he gets 20. Its a different game. Warriors team D was better. And Curry showed up big. No one player wins anything in the playoffs. Udoka has to find a way to get Green going. Rockets missed a great opportunity to get a win. Now they are going to have to earn it the hard way.
Warriors getting the Classic Jimmy Butler experience already. The big games and the vague playoff injury.
Aint nothing vague about that injury man. We all watched him fall right on his @ss!
I think the Warriors will take the Jimmy Butler experience all day long and twice on Sunday based on what they’ve seen so far.
I am not saying it’s a bad experience. It sure is a unique one though.
^ that’s 100% a lie – you absolutely meant it to be a negative.
Re-read your original post, don’t backpeddle now!!!
Oh this is just round 1…
There’s at least one more round to go…
Fingers crossed he remembers that the Warriors gave him his contract lol. There should be no reason for him to pout…, this season…
Pout no…
Have general soreness… yes
I thought it was essentially the same thing. Pouting led to general soreness?
Nah…
General Soreness also equates to how many games Jimmy misses when he is happy…
OK, I’ll keep an eye out for it.
But as we’ve discussed, a 5 foot fall on your arse does not qualify as “general soreness.”
General Soreness. Isn’t that how your butt always feels because you are regularly spanked. But, I guess you a have strong core because you always have to bend over. When have you ever had an accurate prediction?
“The Classic Jimmy Butler experience” is literally going 23-7
@reflect you dont know ball at all with this one, a truly horrific take here man.
Good news for Warriors fans:
Tonight’s refs are crew chief John Goble with Bill Kennedy and Pat Fraher. According to basketball-reference, GS was 9-2 in games they called this season.
That famous Warriors whistle
You seem confused. In this series with the Rockets constantly grabbing, holding and often hacking the ball handler on double teams, they’ve been called for 8 less pfs and have shot 17 more free throws.
Love Steph, but As a Rockets fan it would be great to finally win a series against GSW.
Maybe next year.
Now that the lakers are cooked, I’m all in on the warriors. I hope they have a little magic left in the tank.
Question is, can GSW get through this series before Brooks injures someone?