Jimmy Butler Sounds Off on Point Total, Lack of Clutch Scoring in Game 3

The Golden State Warriors got the so-called "Playoff Jimmy" version of Jimmy Butler for roughly three and a half quarters of Game 3 against the Minnesota Timberwolves Saturday night, May 10, at Chase Center -- and it was almost enough to earn them a victory and a 2-1 series lead in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs. 

Butler finished the evening with 33 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, leading the team in the absence of Stephen Curry, who missed his second consecutive outing with a hamstring strain he suffered in the second quarter of Game 1 in Minneapolis. 

However, Butler scored just seven points in the final eight minutes of the contest -- which seems like a reasonable amount until one examines the context. Four of Butler's points down the stretch came in the final 43 seconds, at which point Minnesota essentially had the win wrapped up. 

Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III.

© David Gonzales-Imagn Images

As such, the more appropriate way to view Butler's offensive production over the final two-thirds of the game's final quarter is to say that he scored just three points between hitting a jump shot with 8:13 left in the contest and garbage time. 

That said, Butler still exceeded his playoff average through the first nine games of this postseason by 15 points and was the primary reason, alongside a revitalized Jonathan Kuminga, that Golden State had a lead in the fourth quarter and a reasonable chance to win the game in its final minutes. 

Butler spoke about his scoring output, and how little it actually means to him following a loss, during his postgame interview. 

"I don't care how many shots I shoot. I don't care how many points I score," Butler said, per KNBR. "If it's not toward winning, none of that ever matters. Twenty-six shots, 36 shots -- next time it has to be in a win."

Golden State opened as 5.5-point underdogs to win Sunday at Chase Center, per ESPN BET.