Steve Kerr details Jimmy Butler's role in Warriors' huge Game 3 win over Rockets: "Incredible basketball IQ"
Golden State Warriors wing player Jimmy Butler missed their 104-93 Game 3 victory over the Houston Rockets on Saturday. His coach, Steve Kerr, however, highlighted that the All-Star forward still made his presence felt on the bench.
Butler sat out Game 3 of their first-round NBA playoff series against the Rockets in San Francisco as he continued to deal with a pelvis and glute muscle contusion. He suffered the injury after being unintentionally undercut midair by Amen Thompson in Game 2 in Houston.
Following their home victory, Kerr moved to mention that while Butler was out, he did his part as a great teammate by being constantly engaged on the bench.
The Warriors coach said:
"First, he had a fantastic coat on. He's so smart. He reminds me so much of Andre Iguodala, incredible basketball IQ and the ability to communicate what he's seeing to see his teammates from the bench."
The Warriors labored throughout Game 3 against the Rockets without Butler.
But led by superstar Steph Curry, and with solid support off the bench from Gary Payton II and Buddy Hield, they outsprinted the Rockets late in the game to secure the crucial victory that thrust them ahead in the series, 2-1.
'Chef Curry' scored 36 points to lead the Warriors to the win. Thirty-four of his total output came in the last three quarters after he only put up 2 points in the first 12 minutes of the game.
Payton and Hield, meanwhile, accounted for 33 of Golden State's 42 bench points.
Golden State hopeful Jimmy Butler will be available for Game 4
While they managed to secure the gutsy win in Game 3, the Golden State Warriors are hopeful Jimmy Butler will be back in Game 4 to aid their cause.
According to Anthony Slater, who covers the Warriors and the NBA for The Athletic, the team's medical team is doing all it can for Butler to be back in harness as soon as possible.
Slater shared it on a post on X (formerly Twitter), writing:
"Jimmy Butler worked out on the practice court pregame, per source. Medical team held him out to give body two more days to heal, but there’s a belief he will be back for Game 4 on Monday night with the Warriors searching for 3-1 series lead over the Rockets."
Jimmy Butler was on the bench for Game 3 on Saturday as he supported his team on its way to the 104-93 victory.
Prior to getting hurt in Game 2 following a bad fall, the six-time All-Star was averaging 14 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.5 steals in their series against Houston. Apart from the numbers, he was a stabilizing presence on both ends.
Butler landed with the Warriors back in February from the Miami Heat as patt of a four-team trade deal.