Steve Kerr weighs up toils of playing Jimmy Butler extended minutes in Steph Curry's absence
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr opened up Jimmy Butler's playing time in the absence of Steph Curry due to injury. Kerr shared that he would have given Butler extra minutes of rest in Game 3 but couldn't afford it without Curry on the floor.
According to ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk, Kerr would have loved it if he had rested Butler a little bit more in their loss on Saturday. The Warriors lost steam in the latter half of the fourth quarter as the Minnesota Timberwolves earned a 102-97 win and a 2-1 series lead.
Butler wants to play 48 minutes, but it's up to Kerr to make the decision and preserve his secondary star's health. The Warriors couldn't afford to lose another top player, with Curry expected to miss Games 4 and 5, at least.
Jimmy Butler had a great game on Saturday, but he missed a few crucial, easy layups in the fourth quarter. Butler probably would have made them if he had that extra energy in his legs. He still finished with 33 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
Jonathan Kuminga had his best game in months, putting up 30 points off the bench. Kuminga earned minutes with Steph Curry out and Kerr changing his game plan for Game 3. The Warriors didn't focus on 3-point shots and instead attacked the paint.
However, they came up short after the Timberwolves controlled the game late after Draymond Green fouled out with under five minutes remaining. Green played phenomenally in defense up until his last two fouls that caused him to be unavailable in the most crucial part of the contest.
Jimmy Butler sends message to Warriors after Game 3 loss
Despite the tough loss in Game 3, Jimmy Butler was not fazed that the Golden State Warriors are down 2-1 in the Western Conference semifinals. Butler has been in this situation before, sending a message to his teammates ahead of a must-win Game 4 on Monday.
"If we don’t win, we damn sure don’t have to worry about getting Steph back this year," Butler said, according to The Athletic's Anthony Slater. "We gotta put our big boy pants on and go out there and compete at a high level and get this one on Monday."
Steph Curry suffered a Grade 1 hamstring strain in the second quarter of Game 1. He's set to be re-evaluated next week, so Butler and the rest of the Warriors will have to pick up the slack and earn a win in Game 4.
