SAN FRANCISCO (AP) 鈥� With Jimmy Butler's tailbone still hurting at the end, he came through in remarkable fashion and in every which way despite all the pain.
The Golden State star returned from a one-game absence and rejoined the starting lineup Monday night for a 109-106 Game 4 Warriors victory in their first-round series against the Houston Rockets, limping at times as he led his team one win away from advancing to the Western Conference semifinals.
鈥淢ore 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,鈥� Butler said. 鈥淪o to be able to miss a game, I don't like it, but I鈥檓 back, I'm back in a big way.鈥�
Butler contributed 27 points, six assists, five rebounds, blocked a shot and converted all 12 of his free throws while playing 40 minutes, less than a week after he in a frightening fall early in Game 2 last Wednesday.
He converted three free throws with 58.7 seconds left, grabbed the game-clinching rebound with 4 seconds to go and then made two more free throws.
鈥淭onight was great. He played through the injury, it was beautiful,鈥� teammate Draymond Green said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 just his presence. What his presence does for this team is humongous. The first three quarters, he couldn鈥檛 move. Not sure how he started moving in the fourth quarter, but first three quarters he couldn鈥檛 move. Yet he never complained. He stuck with it.鈥�
Butler participated in the morning shootaround earlier in the day and just needed to have a successful warmup to be deemed good to go.
鈥淚 thought it was winning time,鈥� Butler said of his play down the stretch, thrilled he began to 鈥渕ove a little bit better.鈥�
Butler played just more than five minutes during his initial stretch and nearly 18 minutes by halftime in a heated game that featured four technical fouls and a flagrant 1.
On Sunday, when Butler spent much of the day working with the medical staff, Kerr said Vice President of Player Health and Performance Rick Celebrini couldn't predict how many minutes Butler's body might be able to handle until he's actually back out on the floor in live action.
He said he鈥檚 still in 鈥渁 lot of pain, I鈥檓 not going to lie to you.鈥�
鈥淚t's a good pain when it's all toward winning. I feel like they got me here to help do something special and if I'm out there on the floor I'm expected to produce and help win, so I'm glad I was able to do that tonight," he said. 鈥�... Today I woke up and I was good enough so I was able to go out there and compete.鈥�
The star forward on Thursday in the Bay Area that revealed he injured his pelvis and has a deep gluteal muscle contusion. The Warriors lead the best-of-seven series 3-1 and can clinch the first round when the series resumes Wednesday in Houston.
. With Butler back, Kerr hoped to be able to rest Curry more regularly 鈥� but he still played 39 minutes.
Butler went down hard when fouled by Amen Thompson late in the first quarter and then missed the rest of the Wednesday.
and sent the Warriors star鈥檚 feet high into the air so that he came down straight onto his tailbone. Both players thudded to the floor and Butler grimaced in pain grabbing at his backside. He stayed in briefly to shoot two free throws before going to the locker room.
Stephen Curry has had the same injury multiple times.
鈥淚njuries are tough, especially in the playoffs, but for him to gut through in the first half and get the wheels going and then get turned up second half both ends of the floor, it's why he is who he is and why he means so much to us," Curry said. 鈥淪o it was a gutty performance for sure.鈥�
In the Game 1 win against the Rockets, he had 25 points on 10-for-19 shooting, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals in 42 minutes of action. The Warriors are 27-9 since Butler made his debut at Chicago on Feb. 8, including 23-8 in the regular season, a play-in tournament win over Memphis and the games facing Houston.
The Warriors know how much they will need Butler if they want to make a deep postseason run.
鈥淲e had to have him. If this were the regular season he鈥檇 probably miss another week or two,鈥� coach Steve Kerr said. 鈥淏ut it's the playoffs, he鈥檚 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.鈥�
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AP NBA:
Janie Mccauley, The Associated Press
