Jimmy Butler proved he was “back in a big way” after playing through the pain barrier to inspire the Golden State Warriors to a hard-fought 109-106 win over the Houston Rockets.
Butler returned from a pelvic contusion and, although clearly not fully fit, was able to mastermind a late run that saw the Warriors home, hitting five free throws in the final minute and a game-clinching rebound with four seconds left.
He ended with 27 points as Golden State moved 3-1 up on the Rockets in their Western Conference first-round series.
He said: “More than anything I just wanted to play. This is the best time of the year for everybody, this is why you go through what you go through. So to be able to miss a game, I don’t like it, but I’m back, I’m back in a big way.”
No. 10
Jimmy Butler III pic.twitter.com/pNcj8XG3AL
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) April 29, 2025
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Green hails brilliant Butler
Butler limped his way through the first three quarters before starting to find better movement in the fourth.
Draymond Green was full of praise for his teammate. Green said: “Tonight was great. He played through the injury, it was beautiful.
“But it’s just his presence. What his presence does for this team is humongous. The first three quarters, he couldn’t move. Not sure how he started moving in the fourth quarter, but first three quarters he couldn’t move. Yet he never complained. He stuck with it.”
The Warriors are just one win away from eliminating the second seed Rockets and coach Steve Kerr knows how important Butler is to his team’s success.
“We had to have him. If this were the regular season he’d probably miss another week or two,” Kerr said. “But it’s the playoffs, he’s Jimmy Butler, so this is what he does. The rebound at the end was just incredible, the elevation, the force then of course knocking down the free throws to clinch it. Jimmy was just amazing.”
Cleveland enjoys record-breaking night in Florida
The Cleveland Cavaliers breezed into the Eastern Conference semi-finals with a record-breaking win over the Miami Heat.
The Cavaliers won 138-83 to complete a 4-0 sweep in the most lopsided series win in NBA playoff history.
The @cavs tallied 77 3PM in their First Round series to advance to the East Semis 🔥
That ties the MOST threes ever hit in a 4-game playoff series, joining…
The Cleveland Cavaliers, in 2016 🤯#NBAPlayoffs presented by Google pic.twitter.com/TZvO4FuwOQ
— NBA (@NBA) April 29, 2025
Over the four games, Cleveland outscored the Heat by 122 points, one more than the previous record set by Denver against New Orleans in 2009.
Donovan Mitchell top-scored for the Cavs on a torrid night for the Heat and coach Erik Spoelstra.
“Damn, it was humbling. This series was humbling. These last two games were embarrassing,” Spoelstra said. “But Cleveland’s also a very good team. They showed us why we weren’t ready for that.”
Cleveland will face either Indiana or Milwaukee next.
