The Warriors have had a jagged process fully integrating Jonathan Kuminga and Jimmy Butler on the floor together since the mid-season trade. Kuminga had a breakout performance, despite the Game 3 loss to Minnesota, filling in for the absence of superstar Steph Curry.
The Warriors’ young forward finished the game with 30 points and 6 rebounds on 11-for-18 shooting, including 3-for-4 from beyond the arc.
Jimmy Butler has some high praise for Kuminga after the game, explaining how the two can continue to co-exist, especially without Steph Curry for at least the next two games.
“He’s a great basketball player…I can play with anybody. He can play with anybody. It’s all about playing basketball the right way,” Butler said about Kuminga.
Butler did not score in the final 8 minutes of the Game 3 loss, as the Warriors let their 4th quarter lead slip away. He ended the game with 33 points on 12-for-26 shooting to go along with 7 rebounds and 7 assists, but was not aggressive in the 4th quarter as he was in the previous 3 quarters.
Butler continued to pour in praise for Kuminga, as well as re-assure everyone that the two can work together on the floor.
“Don’t matter who you out there with, just play basketball the right way. Me and JK [Jonathan Kuminga] could thrive; can and will thrive together on the basketball floor,” Butler said.
The duo of Kuminga and Butler are the first Warriors pair to each have 30 or more points in a playoff game since Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson in 2022, so it shows how much of a scoring punch the two can have when they are firing on all cylinders.
With the Warriors now down 2-1 to the Timberwolves, Game 4 will be essentially a must-win scenario with Curry still sidelined for the foreseeable future.