The Jimmy Butler era with the Golden State Warriors got off to a strong start Saturday night with a 132-111 win over the Chicago Bulls. The Warriors ended up running away with the win, but it wasn’t without some theatrics after they fell behind by as many as 24 points in the first half.
But Warriors fans were treated to a vintage Stephen Curry performance in the third quarter, when he scored 24 of his 34 points to erase Chicago’s lead. He drained five 3-pointers, each one more ridiculous than the last. Straight-away 3s, flying around a screen and letting it fly off his quick release, falling down while the ball sank through the bottom of the net, turning away from the basket before the ball even touched the rim — you name it. It was Classic Curry.
Curry got the Warriors over the hump and back in front, but Butler got Golden State over the finish line in the fourth quarter. He was pressuring the Bulls on defense, facilitating to setup good looks for teammates and getting to the rim and the free-throw line with relative ease to put the game out of reach. In his first game as a Warriors, Butler finished with 25 points, four assists, two rebounds, one steal, one block and went 7 of 12 from the floor.
The All-Star forward, who for the first time in his career donned a jersey that had “Butler III” on the back to honor his father who passed away a year ago today, lived at the free-throw line — where he went 11 for 13 — getting into the paint at will and taking advantage of Chicago’s porous defense. It’s exactly what Butler excels at, and adds a new facet to Golden State’s offense as someone who can penetrate to the rim and create for himself.
After the game, Curry spoke about how Butler’s game contrasts his.
“He’s like the exact opposite player of me, which is funny,” Curry said. “I shoot 16 3s, he shot one. He got to the free throw line a lot. He dominated the paint, I dominated the perimeter. Guys working around us, it has the potential to be really fun.”
Having someone like Butler, whose strength is in part his ability to get to the free throw line, will do wonders for a Warriors team that ranks 27th in free throw attempts, and dead last in free throw percentage. Butler consistently ranks near the top of the league in both of those categories, and now Golden State will benefit from that.
Curry and Butler are different in more ways than just their playing styles. Butler’s built a career on having a fiery personality, an outspoken demeanor and tough-as-nails persona on the court. Curry is the more reserved leader, never making waves but instilling fear in an opposing team’s fanbase any time he catches fire from 3-point range.
“They say opposites attract in a lot of ways in life, and I don’t think I could be a better complement to him and vice versa, in the sense that they’re not leaving him [open on the 3-point line] ever, probably two people would never leave him,” Butler said. “So there’s so much space for everybody else, and I get the easy job. I’m playing one-on-one, or playing with so much space. Everybody’s looking for him or looking to get him open, and at the same time he’s looking for everybody else. It’s so great to play with somebody like that.”
Saturday night’s win was an important box to tick off for a Warriors team that was desperate to find an All-Star level talent to pair with Curry for the rest of the season, and the near future. Butler might not have been Golden State’s first choice, as it did try to chase after Kevin Durant, but early results show that this fit can more than work for the Warriors.
Butler left a tumultuous situation with the Miami Heat, which ended in suspensions and a fractured relationship with team president Pat Riley. He now gets a fresh start with the Warriors, one that Golden State coach Steve Kerr looks forward to.
“Pretty fun having Jimmy on our team,” Kerr said. “He’s an amazing player. The ability to get fouled, it settles the game for us. But I’m most impressed with his passing, I just think his passing changes everything, connects the game, and he does it from anywhere … It goes beyond that, it’s his presence out there. He’s a lion. He is a force.”
