SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Jimmy Butler had 24 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists and the Golden State Warriors, playing without Stephen Curry, beat the Milwaukee Bucks 104-93 on Tuesday night.
Curry, who recently became the first player in NBA history to make 4,000 3-pointers, was given the night off for a mental and emotional break by Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
Buddy Hield had 15 points and six rebounds off the bench to help the Warriors improve to 5-1 on a seven-game homestand. Brandin Podziemski started in place of Curry and had 17 points and seven rebounds.
With 13 games remaining in the regular season, Golden State is 40-39 and remains in the No. 6 slot in the Western Conference.
Kyle Kuzma made five 3-pointers and scored 22 points to pace the Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo added 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Damian Lillard and Brook Lopez each scored 16.
Bucks: Milwaukee couldn´t overcome a sluggish start and played from behind most of the night. Now it´s on to face Western Conference contenders the Lakers, Kings, Suns and Nuggets.
Warriors: Golden State improved to 7-3 this season and 91-150 overall in games without Curry
After Gary Trent Jr. missed a potentially tying 3-point attempt late in the fourth quarter, Podziemski came down and nailed his third 3 of the night to help secure the win.
For the sixth time this season Antetokounmpo made more free throws (10) than he did shots (five).
The Warriors conclude their season-high seven-game homestand against the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night. Milwaukee heads to Los Angeles to play the Lakers on Thursday night.
