Tuesday night’s game between the Golden State Warriors and the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center in Miami had people’s attention.
After all, it was the first game of Jimmy Butler in his old stomping grounds since his controversial split with the Heat last February. Butler saw his time end in Miami when the Heat and the Warriors transacted in a five-team trade that also involved the Utah Jazz, Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons.
However, Butler and the Warriors were bested by his former team, with the Heat running away with a 112-86 victory.
Butler did not have quite a spectacular performance at Miami’s home, as he finished with just 11 points on 5-for-12 shooting from the floor with six rebounds and two assists. He didn’t get a lot to the foul line either, as he only went 1-for-1 from the charity stripe.
The 35-year-old Butler didn’t seem to excited about his return to Miami, especially since he and the Warriors suffered their second loss in a row.
Via Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald:
“We didn’t win. All that other stuff really don’t matter,” Jimmy Butler said of his return to Miami.
Jimmy Butler, Warriors still need wins to guarantee a playoff spot
The Warriors are still very much in the race for one of the six sure playoff spots in the Western Conference, but their loss to the Heat dropped them to 41-31 – just half a game ahead of the No. 7 team in the West through Tuesday, the Los Angeles Clippers.
Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry has missed the last two Warriors games due to a pelvic contusion. It is uncertain when he will be able to return to action, but the Warriors and their fans hope that it will be soon, given the precarious spot that Golden State occupies in the standings.
Up next for the Warriors is a road game versus the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.
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