Thanks in large part to 36 points from star guard Stephen Curry, the Warriors were able to withstand the loss of forward Jimmy Butler for Game 3 of their series against the Rockets, and escape with a 103-94 come-from-behind win to take a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference playoff opener.

The game showed some of the reslience the Warriors have, but they’d really rather not have to keep moving forward without Butler, who suffered a deep bone bruise on his pelvis after a fall in Game 2. After Curry, the Warriors’ next-leading scorer on Saturday was Buddy Hield off the bench, with 17 points. 

There is hope that Butler can be ready for Game 4, which will be played on Monday night at the Chase Center. He will have had a full three days of recovery at that point, and can continue treatement throughout the afternoon.

Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III (center) applauds from the bench against the Houston Rockets during the third quarter of game three of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Chase Center. 

Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

 Coach Steve Kerr offered his take on whether the Warriors will see Butler in Game 4.

“He’s literally day-to-day. So you know, we have tomorrow off,” Kerr said. “It will be helpful for him to have another day, and then it’s a night game. So he gets a few extra hours. So we’ll see. I have no idea right now if he’s going to play.”

Butler had 25 points in the opener against the Rockets, and had 38 points in the Warriors’ play-in win on April 15. He averaged 17.9 points for the Dubs in the regular season, but has been ramping up his scoring as the games have gotten more important. 

Despite not playing, Butler was active on the sideline throughout the Warriors’ win. Kerr made note of the full-length fur coat Butler wore. 

“He had a fantastic coat on,” Kerr said. “I thought he was going to be way too hot in that thing.”

But Kerr added that he did appreciate injured Butler’s contributions. 

“Jimmy is so smart. He reminds me so much of Andre Iguodala,” Kerr said. “Incredible basketball IQ and then the ability to communicate what he’s seeing to his teammates on the bench. I thought Jimmy was important for us tonight in that regard. He was talking to guys throughout the game, and giving them advice, giving some help, and that was big.”