SAN FRANCISCO — After sitting for about 20 minutes, Jimmy Butler III gets up from his chair, moving one limb at a time. His restlessness is clear. Asked how he was feeling, he stopped talking like an athlete and responded with his usual candor.
“You see how I walk,” he said with a sigh, left hand resting on his left hip as he carefully walked out of the room.
Three hours later, Butler’s name appeared on the Monday afternoon NBA injury report submitted by the Warriors ahead of Tuesday’s game against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder at Chase Center.
Two days removed from suffering a severe blow to his back late in the Warriors’ 104–96 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, Butler was listed as “questionable” with a left gluteal contusion. In simple words, a sore ass.
Add to this the first unpleasant blow the Warriors suffered last week. Stephen Curry suffered a left quad injury last Wednesday and is expected to miss at least two more games, the next one in OKC on Tuesday.
And to think, the Warriors had hoped to use their five-game homestand to generate enough momentum to avoid mediocrity. They split the first four games and now must defeat the mighty Thunder (20-1 record) to clinch a winning homestand.
And now, Buttler’s availability is under question. He is Golden State’s No. 2 scorer, behind Curry, averaging 20.2 points per game. His role in the offense increases when Curry is not available. He had a stellar performance on Saturday against the New Orleans Pelicans, scoring a team-high 24 points, dishing out a game-high 10 assists, grabbing eight rebounds and finishing with a game-best plus-22 in 37 minutes.
“He didn’t practice today,” coach Steve Kerr said of Butler. “He feels like he’ll be able to play (Tuesday), but he was pretty hurt by that leak.”
The Warriors went through the first month of the season without serious injuries to their four veterans – Curry’s three-game absence due to illness was the worst – only to come home 10 days early with injuries to each of them. In addition to Curry and Butler, Draymond Green (listed as “probable”) is trying to play despite a right hamstring sprain, and Al Horford (listed as “out”) is dealing with sciatic nerve irritation.
As much as we might want to look at Tuesday’s game as some kind of postseason test on the Warriors’ status, now it feels more like a test of wills. OKC is missing three rotation players – Alex Caruso, Lou Dort, Isaiah Hartenstein – but that’s been the case for most of the season and it doesn’t matter.
When Curry took a knee in his quad last week against the Houston Rockets, it was immediately known he would miss some time. The proof of this was visible in the expression on his face, deep disappointment and barely suppressed anger. The Warriors led for most of the game, but held on to an 89–88 lead heading into the final five minutes. He knew what that moment meant, so he tried to limp his way to the finish line.
Curry was not successful in this and the Warriors fell behind 16-11 in the last 4:19.
Like Curry, Butler knows what this moment means. The Warriors haven’t been three games over .500 all season, and this homestand was an opportunity. Instead, it’s been a loss, a win, a loss and another win. Due to which their record is at 11-10.
Reinforcements are coming. Seth Curry signed on Monday and will be active Tuesday night. De’Anthony Melton is expected to be available at some point on a road trip starting Thursday in Philadelphia. Eventually they will help. Melton may find a way back into the starting lineup.
“We’ll see how long it takes, but we’re excited to have him back,” Kerr said of Melton. “He’s a two-way player, he’s really good fundamentally at taking care of the ball and making decisions. I always say it’s a decision-making game, and D’Anthony is a guy who makes really good decisions on both ends.”
But even when Golden State reaches the peak of its potential, its pursuit in a series of games remains elusive. And that’s impossible when Curry is in street clothes.
Knowing this, Butler’s thirst for victory may send him onto the field against the Thunder. If he comes out for an early tip at 8 o’clock, he will definitely be compromised.
I saw how he was walking.
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