It’s nearly impossible to argue that the Warriors’ Steph Curry-Jimmy Butler duo hasn’t worked.
With the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference on the line, the star guard and wing erupted for a combined 79 points in Golden State’s crucial 134-125 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday at FedExForum.
Immediately after the win, Curry explained to Bob Fitzgerald and Kelenna Azubuike on "Warriors Postgame Live” why he enjoys forming a tandem with the six-time NBA All-Star, who was acquired by Golden State from the Miami Heat at the Feb. 6 trade deadline.
“That’s why the trade makes so much sense for us and why the results have been there ever since,” Curry said. “It’s a great tandem in terms of what you said [are] two different styles.”
Over the past two months, coach Steve Kerr and Co. have benefited from Curry and Butler’s contrasting yet compatible skill sets.
As the Chef erupted for a whopping 52 points and made 12 3-pointers, Butler leveraged his two-way force, registering 27 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals. Butler didn’t forget his craftiness to draw fouls either, ending 12 of 12 on free throws.
That's a DOZEN 3s for Steph 😱 pic.twitter.com/93TZtp8IKC
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 2, 2025
“When we’re locked in and have good spacing, he demands a lot of attention,” Curry added. “He always makes the right play. Like you said, he can get to the line because he’s such a presence.
“He knocks them down, and, even on the defensive end, the steal he had on Ja [Morant] down the stretch was high-IQ basketball.”
In what was a playoff-like atmosphere, Curry, very much in line with his standard, delivered an instant-classic performance against a sturdy Memphis defense.
But as the 37-year-old star echoed, crunchtime basketball is that much easier with a co-general like Butler by his side.
“We love playing meaningful games,” Curry concluded. “Coach said it before the game: this is a meaningful game.
“The rest of them down the season are going to be like this. So for us to be able to step up the way we did [which was] a total team effort. But I like me and Jimmy leading it.”
