Dub Hub: Jimmy Butler reiterates he and Jonathan Kuminga can ‘thrive’ together

Rounding up all Warriors and NBA related news for Monday, May 12th.

In today’s Dub Hub:

• Jimmy Butler reiterates that he and Jonathan Kuminga can “thrive” together despite Saturday’s 102-97 loss in Game 3 Saturday night.
• Steph Curry went through a “pretty strenuous workout” prior to Saturday night’s Game 3, per The Athletic’s Anthony Slater.
• According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo is “open-minded” about leaving Milwaukee.

Despite the Golden State Warriors’ 102-97 Game 3 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night, there were still bright spots—starting with the pairing of Jimmy Butler and Jonathan Kuminga.

With Stephen Curry sidelined for another game, Butler and Kuminga shouldered the scoring load, combining for 63 of the team’s 97 points while keeping Golden State competitive throughout the night.

Butler led all scorers with 33 points on 12-of-26 shooting. He took a moment during his postgame press conference to reiterate his belief in Kuminga.

Kuminga, who played one of his best games of the season with 30 points off the bench, credited Butler’s presence for making the game easier for him.

While the Warriors ultimately fell short, the two-way pairing of Butler and Kuminga produced promising results that could shift the tone of the series in Curry’s absence. With Game 4 on deck, look for their growing chemistry to play a key role in keeping Golden State alive.

For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Monday, May 12th:

Warriors News:

How Jimmy Butler’s approach to dominoes mirrors strategy vs. Wolves | The Athletic

The only question is, can he dig deep like that again? Even deeper? He said he wants to play 48 minutes. Whatever it takes.

“It’s always, ‘Get a win,’” Butler said after Game 3. “If we don’t win, we don’t worry about getting Steph back this year. We have to put our big boy pants on and go out and compete at a high level and get this one on Monday. And we can worry about the next one after that. Get some rest. Recover. Dominoes. Coffee. Kids.”

Steph Curry is inching closer, but the clock is ticking on the Warriors’ season | The Athletic

About 90 minutes before tip on Saturday night, Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry went through a pretty strenuous workout on the team’s practice court in the dungeons of Chase Center. It was the clearest initial step in what Curry hopes to be an expedited return from the hamstring strain that has come to define this second-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Curry didn’t push it to full speed, according to a team source. He’s yet to burst or cut or test that left hamstring in a manner that’ll deliver him and Rick Celebrini — the team’s lead medical decision maker — the true information they’ll need on whether the hamstring is healed enough to return deeper in this series. But he went through a medium-speed shooting routine and rode the stationary bike. This was a notable advancement for Curry in his race against time.

Kerr senses Warriors are close to perfecting formula without Steph | NBC Sports Bay Area

“I felt really good about the way the game went tonight, we just couldn’t close it out,” Kerr said. “But we controlled much of that game. [We were] up six or whatever it was with eight minutes to go, and I liked where we were. We just couldn’t finish.

“So the formula looks good. We’ll have some adjustments to make, but I like the matchup. I like what we’re doing.”

Steve Kerr confident in Brandin Podziemski bouncing back in Game 4

Buddy Hield on the way Draymond Green was officiated in Game 3: “Nothing went his way”

NBA News:

Sources: Giannis Antetokounmpo to explore best fits outside of Milwaukee | ESPN

The two-time NBA MVP has not made any firm decisions on his Bucks future after the franchise’s third consecutive postseason exit in the first round, but, for the first time in his career, Antetokounmpo is open-minded about exploring whether his best long-term fit is remaining in Milwaukee or playing elsewhere, league sources told ESPN.

Teams have approached the Bucks frequently over the years about the availability of Antetokounmpo as a normal exercise, and they are expected to ramp up due diligence during combine week, according to league sources.

Thunder-Nuggets: 5 takeaways as OKC clamps down, evens series 2-2 | NBA

Game 3 of this series was Friday night and went into overtime. Game 4 began at 1:30 p.m. local. That’s less than 48 hours to rest and prepare for an intense, physical and competitive playoff game. Nobody on either team was thrilled with it.

“A lot of tired legs out there, for both teams,” said Adelman. “Right at the start of the game you could see the legs were not there.”

Odds for Monday night’s NBA Draft Lottery

In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:

Player grades: Warriors vs. Timberwolves Game 3

Trayce Jackson-Davis

11 minutes, 7 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block, 2 fouls, 3-for-4 shooting, 1-for-2 free throws, 71.7% TS, -1

TJD got the start, and it certainly didn’t backfire, though I’m not convinced he’ll still be starting on Monday for Game 4. He provided some really important looks on offense, though, and made some great moves on both ends of the court. Even if he’s not starting on Monday, he’s still the center who will play the most.

Grade: B+

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