SAN FRANCISCO — It didn’t seem as if Draymond Green even wanted to bring it up, but he felt context was necessary to explain Jimmy Butler III’s Game 4 performance.
“I know he’s not feeling well. Been pretty crappy all day,” Green said.
A game after Butler exploded for 33 points on 26 shots and 7-of-9 from the foul line (and the Warriors still lost), “Playoff Jimmy” was nowhere to be found Monday night.
He was sick.
With Steph Curry still sidelined, Butler attempted just nine shots and finished with 14 points in a 117-110 loss that put the Timberwolves ahead 3-1 — and the Warriors on the brink of elimination — as their Western Conference semifinal series shifts back to Minnesota.
Butler played 34 minutes but was a game-worst minus-30. The Warriors confirmed that he was feeling under the weather after he left the arena without addressing reporters.
“He wasn’t as aggressive tonight. But I didn’t see a lot of openings either,” coach Steve Kerr said. “Ideally, we could put more shooting around him to open up the floor a little bit. But with Steph out, we’re not going to be able to do as much of that.
“With that said, we’ll look at the tape and see where we can find some openings for him. And I know he’ll be aggressive for Game 5.”
Butler has developed a reputation — and even a nickname — for his tendency to step up in the biggest situations. But he preferred to drive and kick it to the perimeter, where even his teammates seemed surprised at times to get the ball after Butler passed up a chance at the rim.
Butler assisted on only three baskets as the Warriors connected only eight times on 27 attempts from beyond the arc. The game was tied at 68 before Golden State went scoreless for five straight minutes. They fell behind by as many as 21 points and didn’t make a 3-pointer in the second half until garbage time.
The only Golden State player to reach 20 points was Jonathan Kuminga (23), while Green (6-for-14), Buddy Hield (4-for-11) and Brandin Podziemski (3-for-14) all attempted more shots than Butler.
“I mean, we obviously need him shooting the ball,” Green said. “But their defense, they were collapsing on him today. So we tried to pick up that slack.”
Golden State Warriors’ Jimmy Butler III (10) takes a shot against Minnesota Timberwolves’ Jaden McDaniels (3) in the third quarter of Game 4 of the Western Conference Second Round NBA Playoffs at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, May 12, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Butler was often met in the paint by Rudy Gobert, whose rim protection has earned him four Defensive Player of the Year honors, and Minnesota made sure the long, athletic Jaden McDaniels didn’t get switched off the matchup.
While McDaniels said Butler “wasn’t as aggressive,” he also credited the Timberwolves’ defensive adjustments. “I feel like last game, we got a little sloppy, and that’s why he was able to get to the paint and break us down.”
Green placed blame on himself for not getting the ball to Butler in the right spots.
“I think that’s on me,” he said. “I’ve got to find a way to get him into more positions to score. I think tonight I was just trying to get him the ball, and I don’t think I got him the ball in good spots, which then allowed the defense to load up on him.”
Since taking a hard fall early in their series against the Rockets, Butler has repeated the same mantra: Dominoes. Coffee. Kids. But that tried-and-true formula may not be enough to prevent the rigors of the past two months from catching up to the Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors bench, from left to right, Warriors’ Buddy Hield (7), Warriors’ Brandin Podziemski (2), Warriors’ Jimmy Butler III (10) and Warriors’ Stephen Curry (30) watch the final minutes of their loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the fourth quarter of Game 4 of the Western Conference Second Round NBA Playoffs at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, May 12, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
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They will provide an update on Curry’s left hamstring on Wednesday, but the Batman to Butler’s Robin didn’t strike an optimistic tone when discussing his chances of playing Game 5 with ESPN. Curry, 37, was already bothered by a banged-up right thumb before straining his hamstring in the first half of Game 1.
Butler has acknowledged he is still feeling the effects of the fall that left him with a pelvic and deep gluteal muscle contusion, and Kevon Looney said Monday night, “We give a lot of credit for him pushing through the injury that a lot of guys would probably sit out with.”
The Warriors’ season hangs in the balance Wednesday in Minnesota.
Will “Playoff Jimmy” show up?
“I always feel like he has a great sense for the game. And he does whatever is necessary to win. He’s proven that not only here, since we traded for him, but over the years he knows what’s needed,” Kerr said. “I’m confident that in Game 5, he’ll be ready to roll.”
