![\"Jimmy](\"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/BNG-L-WARRIORS-0321-2.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,900\")
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SAN FRANCISCO \u2013 When the Golden State Warriors traded for Jimmy Butler in February, the team acquired a talent it believed was still capable of carrying a team with title aspirations to improbable wins.<\/p>\n
With Steph Curry on the sidelines in stylish street clothes and sitting out for rest purposes , the Warriors needed Butler to do just that against Milwaukee at Chase Center on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n
The star wing delivered in Golden State\u2019s 104-93 victory over the Bucks<\/p>\n
The 35-year-old Butler scored 24 points, dished out 10 assists and grabbed eight rebounds, asserting himself in the second half and helping stave off a Milwaukee team that had mounted a third-quarter rally from down 14 at halftime.<\/p>\n
The Warriors (40-29) shook off Monday\u2019s disappointing loss to Denver and remained in sixth place in the West, while Milwaukee (38-30) fell to fifth in the East.<\/p>\n
The day after Kerr deemed Curry \u201cexhausted,\u201d the superstar point guard sat out the second night of a back-to-back.<\/p>\n
That allowed other Warriors reserves \u2013 not just Butler \u2013 to have an expanded role in the offense.<\/p>\n
The Warriors jumped out to a 12-3 lead, with Quinten Post floating into space for a 3-pointer and later a dunk on two early possessions, looking plenty spry despite working through a gimpy right ankle. He scored 14 points to finish third in scoring.<\/p>\n
Brandin Podziemski, playing in his first game since Mar. 6 and starting in Curry\u2019s stead at point guard, made two high-arcing triples in a first quarter that saw the Warriors end it with a 32-27 lead. Podziemski finished the night with 17 points in 29 minutes.<\/p>\n
The defense was the real story of the first half though, one the Warriors led 58-44 by the time the second quarter buzzer sounded.<\/p>\n
Milwaukee\u2019s dynamic duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Oakland High alum Damian Lillard were a combined 5-for-17 from the field in the first half.<\/p>\n
The Warriors rotated between Draymond Green, Butler and Jonathan Kuminga as Antetokounmpo\u2019s primary defender to great effect.<\/p>\n
That defensive excellence did not carry over into the third quarter.<\/p>\n
The Bucks began the quarter on a 16-4 run that saw team-high scorer Kyle Kuzma (22 points) drop in two 3s.<\/p>\n
Kuminga was called for a flagrant foul on Gary Trent Jr. late in the period when he threw Gary Trent Jr. to the floor on a box out.<\/p>\n
The Warriors were suddenly in a game.<\/p>\n
With the Bucks up 76-75 with a second to play in the third quarter, Butler drew a foul on a 3-pointer from the wing. He buried all three free throws to give Golden State a slim lead going into the fourth.<\/p>\n
From there, Butler and Golden State retook control of the game with five quick Butler points to open the fourth, but Milwaukee would not go away.<\/p>\n
The Bucks cut the lead to 96-93 with under four minutes remaining on two Antetokounmpo free throws, but a Podziemski 3-pointer, a Payton running layup, and another Podziemski triple padded the lead and secured the win for Golden State.<\/p>\n
Golden State finishes its seven-game homestand on Thursday against Toronto. Curry is expected to play.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Jimmy Butler\u2019s second-half excellence, Podziemski\u2019s stellar night in return enough to hold off Bucks<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":44715,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44708","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\n