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Why Stephen A won't rule out Warriors beating Rockets without Butler originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Stephen A. Smith believes the Warriors can beat the Houston Rockets even if Jimmy Butler misses time with the pelvis injury he sustained in Game 2 of the Western Conference playoffs.

The ESPN analyst explained why Golden State could win its first-round matchup against Houston without Butler.

“Well, I think that it’s going to be very tough for them to beat Houston [without Butler],” Smith said Thursday on ESPN’s “First Take.” “I wouldn’t say definitively that they’re done because Houston can be very sporadic offensively. Defensively, they’ll bring it, but offensively, it’s problematic for them to score at times.

“And any time that’s an issue for you, you can get beat. So, I wouldn’t say it’s a foregone conclusion without Butler that [the Rockets] would win this series. But I would elevate them to favorites to win the series if Butler can’t go, which I believe, ultimately, he will be able to go.”

The Rockets are a force on defense but have struggled offensively this season, which leaves the door open for the Warriors to win the series. Still, Golden State was overmatched in Game 2 after Butler was forced out after a hard fall on his tailbone in the first quarter. Houston’s swarming defense bottled up Steph Curry and the rest of Golden State’s shooters in a 109-94 victory.

While Smith is optimistic about the Warriors defeating the Rockets, he is far less upbeat about Golden State’s chances after the first round.

“Here’s what I would tell you if Butler was gone,” Smith explained. “Even if Golden State did get past the first round, you’re going home next round. You ain’t beating the [Los Angeles Lakers] or the [Minnesota Timberwolves] without Jimmy Butler if you’re the Golden State Warriors.

“I would tell you with Jimmy Butler, you could be going to the conference finals. Without him, you could be going home in the first round, but you’re definitely going home in the semifinals.”

After making a trade deadline deal for Butler, the Warriors again looked like contenders in the Western Conference. The 35-year-old was playing some of his best basketball of the season before the injury, with his explosive 25-point outburst in Game 1 keying a Warriors victory.

Without Butler, Golden State’s offense becomes one-dimensional and too reliant on Steph Curry being the primary scorer. Houston took full advantage of this in Game 2, double-teaming Curry at every chance and disrupting his shots.

With the series now shifting to Chase Center for Game 3, all eyes will be on Butler, as his status still is up in the air. Coach Steve Kerr will have to alter the game plan if Butler cannot play, so Jonathan Kuminga and the rest of Golden State’s bench will need to come through in a big way.

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Kuminga ‘stayed ready' for potential increased Warriors playoff role originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Jonathan Kuminga waited patiently for his number to be called, and when the Warriors needed him most, it finally did.

After receiving three consecutive DNPs (Did Not Play) in Golden State’s previous three regular- and postseason games, Kuminga finally saw action in the Warriors’ 109-94 Game 2 loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday at Toyota Center.

After star forward Jimmy Butler left the game in the first quarter with a pelvis contusion, Warriors coach Steve Kerr turned to the 22-year-old, who scored 11 points with three rebounds and two assists in 26 minutes off the bench while shooting 4 of 12 from the field and 2 of 5 from 3-point range.

Although it was a mixed bag for Kuminga off the bench, Warriors superstar Steph Curry was impressed with the energy the young forward showed and expressed his trust in his young teammate, regardless of when and how often he plays moving forward.

“I thought he played aggressive, I know he probably wants to play better and knock the rust off, but as soon as Jimmy went down, I actually saw him on the bench and gave him a little love and knew he was going to get his number called pretty quickly,” Curry said of Kuminga. “And that is the nature of this league.

“For him to come out and play with energy and aggressiveness and just understand he can impact the game and he’s going to have a huge part in what we do. I think whether Jimmy’s out there or not, it could swing a different way. And that’s the challenge and it’s always been for him to see the pictures, understand the intensity that’s out there, try to be in the right spots defensively and when he was opportunities to be aggressive on the offensive end, take them. We trust him when he has the ball in his hands, however many minutes he’s out there, and be ready to play.”

The yo-yoing between the bench and the court is nothing new for Kuminga, who has shown immense potential in his four seasons with the Warriors, but has yet to establish — and hold on to — a consistent role in Kerr’s rotations.

“I kind of grew into it,” Kuminga told reporters after the game. “I’ve been here for four years, and throughout these four years, there were times I didn’t play, and it messes with my head sometimes as a very young player, but I kind of grew into it.

“So, it’s just something I feel like I’m getting better at and I’m still [learning] in controlling those types of [emotions], conversations, moments and situations knowing that no matter what I’m doing, when they tell me things like that, [I’m no longer affected].”

It’s unclear what Kuminga’s role will be moving forward in the series. That all depends on the severity of Butler’s injury. If the 35-year-old were to miss time, Kuminga would be a likely candidate to play big minutes at the position.

“He stayed ready and got some minutes, and it’s good, because we may need him and he needed to develop a little rhythm after missing the last few games,” Kerr said of Kuminga.

Kerr, however, was noncommittal about Kuminga sliding into Butler’s spot in the lineup and said the Warriors will have to “re-think everything” if Butler were to miss time.

Regardless of what his role might be in this series, and in the future, Kuminga will be prepared.

“You gotta stay ready,” Kuminga added. “It is tough [to get DNPs]. For any player it’s gonna be tough, but what am I gonna do about it? You just gotta stay ready. Whenever your moment happens, it’s going to happen… I just try to stay ready and not really think about why I’m not playing.”

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Parsons states Kuminga should hope he's not on Warriors next season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Under desperate circumstances, Jonathan Kuminga finally cracked Steve Kerr’s rotation in Game 2 of the Western Conference playoffs between the Warriors and Houston Rockets on Wednesday night at Toyota Center.

But former NBA forward Chandler Parsons doesn’t believe it should have taken so long — or so much adversity — for Kuminga to get some playing time.

“The other 29 teams know Jonathan Kuminga is a player,” Parsons said on FanDuel TV’s “Run It Back” on Thursday morning. “He’s 22 years old, averaging 15 points in the NBA in a season. He obviously needs to work on his 3-point shooting, but he does so much stuff good that there’s got to be a way to find minutes — even with Jimmy Butler on the floor, in my opinion. I don’t know how you go from playing all year long to up and down, it feels like there’s something else there.

“I don’t care, we’re talking about matchups or fit or style. You can find minutes for Kuminga if you’re finding minutes for [Gui] Santos and these other guys that play. So that doesn’t make sense to me.”

With Butler’s early exit after a hard fall in the second quarter and Brandin Podziemski battling an illness, Kerr turned to Kuminga, who was a DNP-CD (Did Not Play, Coach’s Decision) in Golden State’s previous three games.

In 26 minutes off the bench, Kuminga finished with 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting from the field and 2 of 5 from 3-point range, with three rebounds, two assists and one block in a 109-94 loss. Santos, who has been big for the Warriors in limited minutes, finished with a minus-8 plus/minus, which was the worst among Warriors reserves.

After the game, Kuminga told reporters he is focused on staying positive despite all the chatter about his minutes.

“I hope he doesn’t get too mentally beaten down and allow it to affect his game because he’s got a huge payday coming this summer, regardless,” Parsons said. “I think he probably hopes he’s not in Golden State next year after the way his up-and-down career has gone there.

He has a great opportunity to showcase himself more to these other teams that are going to bid on him being a restricted free agent this summer.”

"Steve Kerr can find minutes for Jonathan Kuminga if he's finding minutes for Gui Santos. … Kuminga probably hopes he's not in Golden State next year."@ChandlerParsons is perplexed by the Warriors, so he expects another team to give Kuminga the BAG this summer 🤑 pic.twitter.com/XdxaxD730S

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) April 24, 2025

Kuminga and the Warriors attempted to work out an extension entering the 2024-25 season, but both sides weren’t able to reach an agreement before last October’s deadline. In 47 regular-season contests (10 starts) this season, the 22-year-old averaged 15.3 points on 45.4 percent shooting, with 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 24.3 minutes.

As Parsons noted, Kuminga will be a restricted free agent this summer, meaning Golden State will have the opportunity to match any offer the forward receives in free agency.

Teams are expected to show interest in the former No. 7 overall draft pick, with the Brooklyn Nets reportedly already trending as a potential sign-and-trade destination.

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Mazzulla shares update on Tatum's ‘severe' bone bruise ahead of Game 3 originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics successfully navigated Jayson Tatum’s first-ever missed playoff game Wednesday night, fending off the Orlando Magic in a 109-100 win that gives them a 2-0 lead in their first-round NBA playoff series.

But will we see Tatum back on the court Friday when the series shifts to Orlando for Game 3?

Head coach Joe Mazzulla joined 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Zolak & Bertrand on Thursday to share the latest on Tatum’s right wrist injury, which he sustained in Game 1 on Sunday.

“Yeah, there will definitely be a chance,” Mazzulla said when asked about the possibility of Tatum playing in Game 3. “Again, he’s dealing with a severe bone bruise. He’s day-to-day, and he’s progressively gotten a little bit better each day.”

Mazzulla played coy Wednesday night when asked about Tatum, saying he had “no idea” when he found out the Celtics star wouldn’t play in Game 2. He was a bit more forthcoming Thursday, however, revealing that Tatum made every effort to play before being ruled out shortly before tip-off.

“He went through all the protocols and did everything he could possibly do up until the last moment to try and play, and just wasn’t able to do it,” Mazzulla said. “But he’ll go back at it again today, and he’s in that day-to-day process right now.

“At the end of the day, I know he’ll do whatever it takes to put himself in a position to play and put our team in position to win. It’s just kind of who he is, and we’re just trusting that.”

The good news for the Celtics is that Tatum doesn’t appear to have structural damage in his wrist, and that his bone bruise is more of a pain management and flexibility issue. Whether the four days between Sunday’s Game 1 and Friday’s Game 3 are enough recovery time for Tatum remains to be seen, but Mazzulla said the All-Star forward is attacking his rehab.

“He’s doing whatever he can, every minute of the 24 hours, to put him(self) in position to try and be out there on the court,” Mazzulla said. “I trust his process. I trust his mindset, trust the people around him that helped put him in position, and that’s all we can do.”

And as for that viral moment in Game 1 when Mazzulla yelled at Tatum to “Get up!” while Tatum writhed on the floor in pain following his injury? Mazzulla explained that’s just an example of the dynamic between the head coach and his star player.

“I think it’s just love — the love of the relationship that we have, the understanding of the moment, understanding of our environment,” Mazzulla said. “Just grateful for the relationship that we have, the relationship we have with our players knowing that we can push each other.

“He pushes me, I try to push him, and we try to do that for each other.”

Tip-off for Game 3 is set for 7 p.m. ET on Friday, with NBC Sports Boston’s coverage beginning at 6 p.m. ET with Celtics Pregame Live.