San Francisco – Jimmy Butler delivered his best performance as a Warrior, scoring 24 points and dishing out 10 assists, falling just shy of a triple-double. Since being traded to Golden State, Butler has been a game-changing spark, seamlessly fitting into an already strong roster while continuing to elevate the team in ways that exceed expectations.
Despite being without their sharpshooter, Stephen Curry, who was given the night off for rest, the Warriors secured a 104-93 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Five players scored in double figures, with everyone contributing to the win. Once heavily reliant on Curry for offense, Golden State’s attack has evolved with Butler in the mix, transforming the team’s dynamic on that end of the floor.
“I thought Jimmy’s (Butler III) three-point play at the end of the quarter was a big one, getting fouled and knocking down the three free throws,” said Steve Kerr. “We felt good about that lineup that we put out there to start the fourth. It’s been a great lineup for us. They made a nice push, QP (Quinten Post) hit the big three from the corner. There’s a good flow with that group, a good two-way lineup. They made a great run, and then we were able to hold them off.”
The Warriors jumped out to a 17-8 lead to start the game, hitting six 3-pointers in the first quarter. Brandon Podziemski returned to the lineup after missing two weeks due to injury. The Bucks rallied to cut the deficit to 22-17, but Golden State remained in control, with seven players contributing to the scoreboard and only three turnovers committed, finishing the quarter ahead 32-27.
By the second quarter, the game turned into a back-and-forth battle, with Milwaukee cutting the lead down to one. Kyle Kuzma led the charge with 22 points, while Draymond Green played stellar defense, holding Giannis Antetokounmpo to just five points in the fourth quarter. Green finished with three points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and four blocked shots.
“Either one is worth the headline,” explained Kerr. “Draymond–that defense tonight on Giannis was incredible, to hold him to five field goals. Draymond showed why he’s still one of the great defenders in the world and why he’s so important to winning night after night. I thought it wasn’t just the defense; it was the leadership, it was the energy. It was a professional effort by our guys after last night’s loss. To respond the way they did, to put together a victory against a great team in a game we needed. Jimmy played the whole fourth and just took over the game. We ran every play through him down the stretch. That’s a big-time weapon to have.”
Draymond Green recorded double-digit rebounds for the seventh time this season. He also blocked four shots, bringing his total to nine over the last two games. This marks just the second time in his career that he has recorded nine blocks over a two-game span, previously achieving the feat on December 14 and 16, 2014.
“You know, when you’re going against one of the greats, you gotta be locked in,” said Green. “So I came into this game with the mentality to try and stop him. I didn’t want guys to overhelp because if he goes off, and he gets 40, and we stop everybody else, we still have a great chance of winning the game. So I just didn’t want them over-helping too much, and all of those guys, like Taurean Prince, or Brook Lopez, got it going there for a minute, Kuz (Kyle Kuzma)
I didn’t want those guys to end up kind of taking them home because we’re overly focused on Giannis. So trying to tell the guys to be there early but not stay there. Be there early then start going out to your guy, I’ll get back. We struggled there in the third quarter but we were great the first two quarters, and we were great the fourth quarter. We ended up figuring it out again which is great.”
Jimmy Butler recorded his fourth double-double of the season and his second as a Warrior. He has now logged 16 games with 20 or more points, including seven with Golden State, and has reached that mark in back-to-back contests. Tonight also marked his third game of the season with 10 or more assists (second as a Warrior).
Butler has dished out six or more assists in five straight games, averaging 8.0 per contest during that span. He was a perfect 11-for-11 from the free-throw line, marking the fourth time since joining the Warriors that he has made at least 10 free throws in a game. With 127 free throw attempts in 17 games, he ranks fifth among Warriors in total attempts this season.
Golden State improved to 15-2 when Butler is in the lineup.
“I mean I’ve been playing in this league for what, 14-something years now,” Butler said. “So I can tell, I know when I need to get my guys involved. I know when somebody has it going, I know when somebody needs to shoot the ball. I think that’s my job out there, get the ball where it needs to go, when I need to score, be able to do that. When I need to get to the free throw line be able to do that, get some stops, and whatever the team asks for me to do, that’s what I gotta do. I think I’ve got a good feel of that because I’ve been doing it for a while now.”
Golden State’s 16-0 run (from 0:41 left in the third quarter to 10:15 left in the fourth) matched their second-longest run of the season (16-0 on 2/23/25 vs. DAL), trailing only a 17-0 run on 11/20/24 vs. ATL.
The Warriors have now won eight of their last nine home games and 15 of their last 18 overall. With their victory over Milwaukee, Golden State swept the season series against the Bucks for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
The Warriors improved to 9-1 this season when holding opponents to 99 points or fewer (7-0 at home), limiting the Bucks to just 93 points, their lowest-scoring output of the season.
Golden State is 6-2 in their last eight clutch games, including 6-1 in games Butler has played. Additionally, they improved to 9-0 when holding opponents under 40% shooting from the field and 15-4 when grabbing 50 or more rebounds.
Stephen Curry to Sit Out Tonight’s Game Against the Bucks
San Francisco – Stephen Curry will sit out tonight’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks for rest after a sluggish performance last night. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr explained the decision, citing the need for recovery following Golden State’s loss to the Denver Nuggets. In Curry’s absence, Brandon Podziemski will return to the lineup and start in his place.
BUCKS HEAD COACH DOC RIVERS
ON PLAYING THE WARRIORS WITHOUT STEPHEN CURRY:
“Listen, it’s funny. I watched him (Stephen Curry) move yesterday during the game, and I saw him limping around. I actually told our coaches, I said, ‘I wouldn’t be shocked if Steph didn’t play tonight.’ Obviously, taking him off the floor is going to make them play just like Denver did last night, dangerous.”
Photos by GSW/X
