The Golden State Warriors will go to battle on Wednesday night in Game 5 without the services of Stephen Curry, who hasn’t quite recovered from the hamstring injury that he sustained in Game 1 of their second-round matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

A large part of the onus has since fallen on Jimmy Butler, the six-time All-Star veteran forward they traded for in February. But in Game 4 on Monday, he seemed flat and had just 14 points on nine shot attempts. Head coach Steve Kerr told the media that there was a big reason Butler didn't play up to his standards.

The Golden State Warriors are on the verge of elimination as they trail in the best-of-seven series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, 3-1. On Wednesday, the Warriors will play in Game 5 without their All-Star guard Stephen Curry.

Steve Kerr called Jimmy Butler’s illness yesterday “definitely impactful.” He went from 26 shots in G3 to nine in G4. Kerr: “But he’s feeling better

Golden State opened as a 10.5-point underdog in Minneapolis for Game 5, per ESPN BET. The betting outlook has since gotten worse for the Warriors, who are now 11.5-point underdogs less than 24 hours from tipoff at the Target Center.

The Miami Heat's season was overshadowed by the Jimmy Butler trade saga. Last offseason, Butler requested a contract extension after leading Miami to two Final

Jimmy Butler is a perfect example of just how extreme these dissolutions can become. Not only is he fresh off a contentious exit from the Miami Heat, but his Golden State Warriors are duking it out in the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the team he openly forced his way off back in 2018.

The Jimmy Butler era in Miami came to a dramatic end last season, and now the Heat have to figure out what to do moving forward.

Every postseason, NBA fans witness Jimmy Butler turn into "Playoff Jimmy," illustrating his rise in play as he enters the most crucial games of the year. But he was nowhere to be found in Golden State's Game 4 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.