Jimmy Butler didn’t need Stephen Curry on the court to deliver a composed, confident message following the Golden State Warriors’ Game 1 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Speaking after Tuesday night’s 99–88 road victory, Butler praised Buddy Hield’s effort while joking about Draymond Green’s postgame characterization of their dynamic as “Batman and Robin.”
“No, no, no, no, no,” Hield interjected with a grin. “I’m Batman today. I saved the day. He’s still Robin.”
Butler laughed and agreed—temporarily—before calling out Hield for a pregame mistake involving mismatched shorts, jokingly blaming him for a wardrobe malfunction: “Except for that stupid thing you did at the beginning of the game when you didn’t have on the right shorts.”
Hield explained the mix-up, blaming Butler for the confusion: “His locker is next to my locker… it was Jimmy’s fault. Blame Jimmy.”
With Curry sidelined in the second quarter due to a left hamstring injury, the Warriors leaned heavily on Butler, who finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.
Butler, reflecting on the challenge without Curry, said the team is ready to adapt: “Ball just needs to move a lot more… I got to find a way to score and get everybody else involved.”
He also addressed the locker room chemistry that fuels the team’s competitiveness, especially in high-pressure moments.
“We had another something in the huddle. He’s like, ‘You know what, you’re right,’ and we move on because the main goal is to win,” Butler said of Hield. “He understands that I just want to win. I understand that he just want to win.”
Butler emphasized the importance of rebounding against Minnesota’s size, particularly Rudy Gobert: “We got guys doing the work early to prevent that,” he noted.
Hield added, “Just going to keep on continuing the boards… and put the ball in Jimmy’s hands.”
When asked about stepping into a high-usage role in Curry’s absence, Butler said he’s ready if necessary: “I’m not a volume shooter… but I’m gonna play the right way.”
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr had called Hield a “two-way player” after the game, prompting more back-and-forth from Butler: “Two-way player’s a stretch, but Butard—he’s been key.”
Butler also responded to the Minnesota crowd’s boos during his return to Target Center, saying he’s unfazed by the noise—but drew a line on personal insults: “Let’s just keep it at that… watch your mouth.”
Despite Curry’s injury, Butler said the belief in Golden State’s ability to compete hasn’t changed.
“I’ve said it before. Any team with me on it I think has a chance, and I know that any team with Steph on it does have a chance,” Butler said.
Game 2 of the series is scheduled for Thursday night in Minneapolis.
