Bruised pelvis at all, Jimmy Butler stepped up when Golden State needed someone to close the door on the Houston Rockets.
Head coach Steve Kerr isn’t surprised at all.
“It’s the playoffs and he’s Jimmy Butler. This is what he does,” Kerr said of Butler's big game that powered the Warriors’ 109-106 Game 4, giving them a commanding 3-1 series lead.
“It’s the Playoffs, and he’s Jimmy Butler. This is what he does.”
— NBA (@NBA) April 29, 2025
Steve Kerr credited Jimmy Butler III for returning and gutting out 40 minutes in the PIVOTAL Game 4 victory for the @warriors 🔥
After missing the previous contest, the 35-year-old returned and gutted one this out as Golden State needed every bit of his 27-point, six-assist, and five-rebound masterpiece in 40 minutes to pull through over the Rockets.
[ALSO READ: Jimmy Butler returns in Game 4, Warriors push no. 2 Rockets to brink of elimination]
“That’s what makes Jimmy who he is. He just does so many things. He makes so many big plays,” Kerr added.
With the score tied at 104-apiece, Butler knocked down five clutch free throws that helped push the Warriors to the brink of a third West semifinal appearance in the last four years.
“Just to see his perseverance and do all the requirements to get back… you can see that he [Butler] wants to win. He’s a winner,” Brandin Podziemski, who posted playoff career-highs of 26 points and six threes, said of his teammate.
Stephen Curry also described Butler’s effort as a “gutty performance” on the night the two-time MVP was held to his lowest scoring output this series at 17 markers.
“[Just] sheer determination and will. For him [Butler] to gut through and get the wheels going in the first half and turn it up in the second half on both ends of the floor, that’s why he means so much to us,” Curry bared.
"Sheer determination and will."
— NBA (@NBA) April 29, 2025
Steph credits Jimmy for his heart & hustle in the @warriors Game 4 victory 💪#NBAPlayoffs presented by Google
But for Butler, the multi-time All-Star downplayed his big game and admitted he’s playing through the pain.
“That’s just part of the game. Your body starts to warm up, move a little better, and gain confidence, and good things happen,“ he said.
“I’m not gonna say that I’m not hurting but it’s a good pain whenever it’s toward winning. I felt that they got me here to do something special,” Butler added.
