The Golden State Warriors will begin life without Jimmy Butler when they wrap up a successful eight-game homestand Tuesday night against the Toronto Raptors in San Francisco.
The Warriors won their fourth straight game Monday, improving to 6-1 on their homestand, despite Butler having to leave the game with an injured right knee that was so painful, he had to be helped to the locker room.
Golden State went on to defeat the Miami Heat 135-112, but the organization held its collective breath afterward as the 36-year-old Butler was sent for an MRI. And, according to multiple reports, the news was not good. The six-time All-Star suffered a torn ACL and will miss the rest of the season.
After contributing 13 points to the win, Moses Moody credited Butler for inspiring the team in a game in which Golden State led just 77-75 midway through the third quarter, at the time the injury occurred. Butler had 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field before his departure.
“It looked a little scary at first,” Moody told the media after the game. “But you know Jimmy … on the floor, still playing (around) and talking … good spirits.”
The Warriors responded to the injury by scoring 12 consecutive points to take a double-digit lead. They broke the game open late with a 15-point run.
Moody said he wasn’t surprised despite the loss of a key player.
“Something like that really unifies the team,” Moody said. “It’s a mindset why we come together at times like that. Whether it’s an injury or Draymond (Green) ejection … it rallies the team.”
The Warriors also figure to be without Al Horford on the end of a back-to-back set as he gets his regular second-night rest. The team, however, is expected to get De’Anthony Melton and Green back in the lineup after they were given Monday off.
No Warriors starter played more than 30 minutes.
In 38 games this season, Butler averaged 20 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game.
The Raptors have injury issues of their own. They were without RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl, Ja’Kobe Walter and Collin Murray-Boyles when beaten 110-93 Sunday night by the Los Angeles Lakers in the opener of a five-game trip.
None of the injuries is considered serious, but all four players were early scratches from Tuesday’s game as the Raptors hope for returns later in the week.
Toronto will take the court with the same 25-19 record as the Warriors, and will seek a two-game, season-series sweep. Immanuel Quickley had 27 points, Brandon Ingram 26 and Scottie Barnes 23 when the Raptors used a 19-5 flurry in overtime to beat Golden State 141-127 in Toronto last month. Barnes also had 25 rebounds.
Without some of their top guns, the Raptors acknowledged they were surprised by the Lakers’ zone defense on Sunday. Toronto was held to 41.8% shooting from the field overall and 7 of 32 (21.9%) on 3-pointers en route to its third-lowest output of the season.
“We just have to keep trusting the shot,” Sandro Mamukelashvili said after 8-of-12 shooting against the Lakers. “We were passing out of some shots because we wanted to get a better shot, and I think that’s what a zone does. You got to attack it and collapse the paint or trust your shot and then go crash the boards.”
The Raptors shot 50.9% in their earlier win over the Warriors.
