SAN FRANCISCO– Steve Kerr and the rest of the Golden State Warriors found out Jimmy Butler wasn't playing, quite literally, right after the PA announcer finished introducing him and the rest of the starters to the Chase Center crowd.
“It honestly happened, after Jimmy was announced, somebody came up to me and told me he was out,” Kerr said after the game. “And we just kind of looked around. Oh, there's Will [Richard], let's go with him.”
Butler was a late scratch before Golden State dominated the Charlotte Hornets for a 136-116 win, with the star ruled out for the game due to “personal reasons” according to Warriors PR. Kerr did not specify the specific reasons as to why Butler did not play, but made it clear everything is fine for the 15-year vet.
“I have not talked to him, but I got word from Mike that everything is fine,” Kerr said. “He just had a personal thing that came up right before the game, but everything is fine.”
The Dubs coach also said they do not expect it to be a long-term thing that could keep Butler out moving forward. But with how the Warriors looked against the Hornets, with 10 players hitting a 3-pointer for 23 triples on the night, they were able to hold the fort down without him. They didn't even need a good Stephen Curry game, who finished with a quiet 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting.
The Warriors found their scoring in their depth. De'Anthony Melton led Golden State with 24 points on 8-of-16 from the field off the bench. Brandin Podziemski added 16 points, six rebounds, and seven assists, Al Horford tossed in 11 points with a +20 plus/minus, and even Buddy Hield, who had fallen out of the rotation, threw in 14 points.
How Golden State managed without Jimmy Butler
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Golden State Warriors guard De'Anthony Melton (8) talks with forward Jimmy Butler III (10) during the fourth quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at Chase Center.
Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Without Butler, what usually goes awry are the non-Curry minutes. With Kerr preferring to stagger Curry and Butler's minutes so that Butler can guide the second unit, the Warriors have been able to win the non-Curry minutes as of late. But with no Butler, the question for the Warriors was how the second unit would hold up without him.
Well, the second unit held up fine without Butler, thanks to Melton, Podziemski, and Horford. Their scoring as well as their ability to space the floor kept Golden State's offense humming without either of their driving engines. After the game, Melton explained what worked so well in those minutes despite missing Butler.
“Honestly, wasn't too much of a change. We just stayed aggressive,” Melton said. “Jimmy, when he's out there, he's always trying to instill in us confidence and attack and be aggressive and everything like that. So without him out there, we just thought we had to make up for that.”
That unit won Golden State the game when Melton scored 13 points on a hot 4-of-6 shooting in the third quarter, putting the Warriors up 18 by the time the fourth quarter rolled around. Over the last 15 games, the Warriors have led the league in bench points with 49.1 per game. They are 11-4 in that stretch.
“With Melton and Al playing at the level they are, [it] just adds another dynamic to our game,” Kerr said. “Melt getting downhill to the rim, drawing help, now the ball swings. People are getting open 3s. So both those guys playing at such a high level has changed our team. The depth of our team right now is really our strength.”