The Golden State Warriors have ruled out six-time All-Star small forward Jimmy Butler for the entire second half of the club’s ongoing clash with the Phoenix Suns.
Per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the 6-foot-7 Marquette product is suffering from a sore lower back.
Thanks in part to Butler’s aggressive rebounding, playmaking and defense, the Warriors had looked utterly dominant in the opening half, and were leading by double digits, 68-49, at the break. Now, Phoenix is catching up, having outscored Golden State 32-23 in the third frame so far to close the gap to a far more surmountable 11 points, 92-81, with 55.5 seconds remaining in the period.
Butler finishes the game with just two points on 1-of-5 shooting from the floor, but four rebounds, two assists, and a team-best +17 plus-minus in 14:06 of action.
Golden’s State will now lean more on 11-time All-NBA superstar point guard Stephen Curry, who currently has 23 points. Only two other Warriors - starting center Quinten Post (11 points) and reserve shooting guard Moses Moody (14 points) have scored in double figures so far.
Four-time Phoenix All-Star shooting guard Devin Booker has been on a scoring clinic through most of three quarters. The 6-foot-5 Kentucky product has 32 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the field and 11-of-11 shooting from the charity stripe, while starting center Mark Williams has notched a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double.
This story will be updated…
2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.