With Steph Curry Out And Jimmy Butler Aching, Here Come Thunder To Face Warriors

With Steph Curry out and Jimmy Butler aching, here come Thunder to face Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – After sitting for about 20 minutes, Jimmy Butler III rises from his chair moving one limb at a time. His discomfort is evident. Asked how he’s feeling, he eschews athlete-speak and responds with typical candor.

“You see how I’m walking,” he said with a sigh, left hand resting on his left hip and as he shuffles carefully out of the room.

Three hours later, Butler’s name appeared on the Monday afternoon NBA injury report submitted by the Warriors in advance of their game Tuesday against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder at Chase Center.

Two days removed from landing hard on his backside late in the Warriors’ 104-96 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, Butler was listed as “questionable” with a left gluteal contusion. In simpler terms, an aching ass.

Add this to the first unwelcome blow to the Warriors last week. Stephen Curry sustained a left quad contusion last Wednesday and is expected to miss at least two more games, the next being OKC on Tuesday.

And to think, the Warriors had hoped to use their five-game homestand to generate enough momentum to escape mediocrity. They split the first four games and now must take down the mighty Thunder (20-1 record) to achieve a winning homestand.

And now, Butler’s availability is in question. He is Golden State’s No. 2 scorer, behind Curry, averaging 20.2 points per game. His role in the offense expands when Curry is not available. He was superb Saturday against the New Orleans Pelicans, producing a team-high 24 points, a game-high 10 assists, grabbing eight rebounds and finishing a game-best plus-22 over 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 sore from that spill he took.”

The Warriors made it through the first month of the season without significant injuries to their four veterans – Curry’s three-game absence to due to an illness was the worst of it – only to come home 10 days ago have each of them afflicted. In addition to Curry and Butler, Draymond Green (listed as “probable”) is trying to play through a sprained right foot, and Al Horford (listed as “out”) is coping with sciatic nerve irritation.

As much as we might like to consider the game on Tuesday as some kind of in-season exam on the status of the Warriors, this now looks more like a test of will. OKC is missing three rotation players – Alex Caruso, Lu Dort, Isaiah Hartenstein – but that’s been the case most of the season and it has not mattered.

When Curry took that knee to the quad against the Houston Rockets last week, he immediately knew he would miss some time. The proof was in the look on his face, one of deep disappointment and barely submerged fury. The Warriors had led most of the game but were clinging to an 89-88 lead inside the final five minutes. He knew what the moment meant, so he tried to limp his way to the finish line.

Curry didn’t quite make it, and the Warriors were outscored 16-11 over the final 4:19.

Like Curry, Butler knows what the moment means. The Warriors haven’t been more than 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. Which has their record 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 sometime on the road trip that begins Thursday in Philadelphia. They will help, eventually. Melton may find his way back into the starting lineup.

“We’ll see how much time it takes, but we’re excited to get him back,” Kerr said of Melton. “He’s a two-way player, he’s really good fundamentally in terms of taking care of the ball and decision-making. I say it all the time it’s a decision-making sport, and De’Anthony is a guy who makes really good decisions at both ends.”

But Golden State’s pursuit of a stretch of games when it flashes the top end of its potential continues to be elusive. And it’s impossible when Curry is in street clothes.

Knowing that, Butler’s thirst for victory may send him onto the floor against the Thunder. If he strolls out for the opening tip at 8 o’clock, he surely will be compromised.

I saw how he was walking.

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