The Golden State Warriors have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA for more than a month now, but Jimmy Butler knows that he and his teammates may need to be more locked in than ever in the immediate future.
Golden State has now won 14 of their last 16 games following their 117-114 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night. The latest win came at a cost, however, as Stephen Curry exited in the third quarter after suffering a back injury.
Curry was delivering a pass mid-air after he drove to the basket when he was bumped hard by a defender and fell to the floor. Curry’s back hit the hardwood and he appeared to be in immediate pain. You can see the video here.
While the extent of the injury is not yet known, Curry had already been battling a back injury that kept him out of Tuesday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
After the Warriors beat the Raptors, Butler was asked about Curry’s injury. Butler said he hopes Curry does not miss any time but that the Warriors will have to be “perfect” if the former MVP is sidelined.
“That’s just more perfect basketball that we’re gonna have to play,” Butler said. “We can’t afford to turn the ball over. We can’t afford to foul, because we don’t have the one individual that can automatically get us back into the game.”
Jimmy Butler on the Warriors need to play “perfect” basketball if Steph Curry misses time
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 21, 2025
“We can’t afford to turn the ball over. We can’t afford to foul. Because we don’t have the one individual who can automatically get us back into the game.” pic.twitter.com/lbkGic7gd4
Now 37 years old, Curry is one of the older players in the NBA. Though, as Butler said, the four-time champion is still capable of catching fire at any moment and putting the Warriors on his back. Golden State is a totally different team when Curry is not on the floor.
Curry had shown signs recently that he was as healthy as ever, but the latest injury is obviously a major concern. If Curry is forced to miss time, Butler will have to shoulder a lot more of the load than he has been used to in Golden State. He sounds ready for the challenge.
