Jimmy Butler Reportedly Out For Warriors vs. Kings After Back Injury, Curry to Rest
The Golden State Warriors will reportedly be without their top two players when they face the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night.
According to ESPN's Anthony Slater, Jimmy Butler is expected to miss Wednesday's game after leaving Tuesday's 118-107 win over the Phoenix Suns due to lower back soreness.
Superstar guard Stephen Curry will also sit, as Warriors head coach Steve Kerr announced the decision Tuesday night, telling reporters, "I don't care what the doctors say. We got to get him some rest. He's not playing tomorrow."
Curry has been dealing with a cold, and after the Dubs' victory on Tuesday, he told reporters, "Tonight in the second half, the tank was on [empty]."
On top of Butler and Curry missing Wednesday's game, Slater also reported that Draymond Green's playing status is also "considered iffy."
Golden State is off to a solid 5-3 start this season, and Tuesday's win over the Suns ended a brief, two-game losing streak.
Prior to that, all four of the Warriors' wins came against Western Conference teams that reached the playoffs last season in the Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers.
It can be argued that the West is even deeper and more talented this year than last, which is why every game and every win will be of the utmost importance in terms of playoff positioning.
Through eight games, Curry and Butler have unsurprisingly been the Warriors' most productive players this season.
Curry is leading the way with 26.8 points per game to go along with 4.4 three-pointers made, 4.3 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals.
Meanwhile, Butler is second on the team in scoring with 19.0 points per game, and he is also averaging 5.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 three-pointers made.
As good as Curry and Butler have been, it is also important from Golden State's perspective to keep them well rested given that they are 37 and 36 years old, respectively.
Curry and Butler have played in every game so far, which suggests they were due for a break, particularly on the second leg of back-to-back games.
Being without Curry, Butler and potentially Green figures to put the Warriors in a tough spot Wednesday, even against a Kings team that has struggled to a 2-5 start.
Those absences should open the door for some other players to step up, though, including Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody, all of whom are 23 years old or younger.
All of them are more so role players than stars when Curry and Butler play, but with both of them out, they could be in line for their most productive game of the season on Wednesday.
