Jimmy Butler stats today: Return of 'Playoff Jimmy' not enough in Warriors Game 3 loss to Timberwolves

When Stephen Curry went down with an injury, the Warriors knew they'd need their other superstar to step up. On Saturday, Jimmy Butler did exactly that — but it still wasn't enough.

With Curry sidelined for Game 3 of Golden State's second-round matchup against Minnesota, it was Butler who took the spotlight, commanding the Warriors' offense. Paired with a strong performance off the bench from Jonathan Kuminga (30 points), Golden State fought to maintain a lead into the fourth quarter — but the Timberwolves, once again, came up clutch.

Anthony Edwards exploded for 36 points and Julius Randle notched a triple-double (24 points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds) as the Timberwolves came through on the road, winning Game 3 by a 102-97 final score. Minnesota will now take a 2-1 series lead into Game 4 on Monday.

Butler, known for his takeover ability in the playoffs, added another standout postseason performance to his collection on Saturday, but he went cold in the fourth quarter and couldn't quite close it out by leading the Warriors to a win.

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Here's how Butler fared against the Timberwolves, nearly helping Golden State steal Game 3 of the second-round series.

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Jimmy Butler stats Game 3 vs. Wolves

• Points: 33
• Rebounds: 7
• Assists: 7
• Steals: 0
• Blocks: 0
• Turnovers: 4
• Fouls: 4
• FG: 12-26
• 3P: 2-4
• FT: 7-9

Butler did most of his work in the first three quarters. It was his efforts that kept the Warriors neck-and-neck with the Timberwolves despite missing Curry, hoping to steal a game as the team awaits the return of its superstar.

Ultimately, a lack of fourth-quarter offense doomed the Warriors, but Butler had a strong performance nonetheless. His 33 points were his second-most of the postseason, trailing only his 38 against Memphis in the play-in.

Butler and Kuminga combined for 63 points in Game 3, but it still wasn't enough for the Warriors.

Golden State will certainly need Butler at his best to stay in this series without Curry, and the former Bulls, Timberwolves, 76ers, and Heat star did just about everything he could Saturday. It may take another heroic effort for Butler in Game 4 for the Warriors to knot the series at two games apiece.

Jimmy Butler Game 3 highlights vs. Timberwolves

As usual, Butler found a majority of his success by driving to the rim against Minnesota on Saturday. He hit 7-of-9 free throw attempts, but those weren't the only source of his point total. Helping keep the Warriors in it throughout the first half when they didn't hit a 3, Butler continued driving to the cup.

That trend continued in the second quarter, as Butler hit a nice reverse layup against Rudy Gobert while drawing a foul. 

Butler's finesse is as sharp as ever at age 35, and he proved that by cooking Anthony Edwards with a simple-but-effective spin move in isolation during the third quarter. 

Butler really got the Chase Center crowd going when he drove, passed the ball out, then relocated and knocked down a 3-pointer that helped pad the Warriors' lead.

JIMMY BUTLER IS COOKIN' IN GAME 3 🔥 🔥 pic.twitter.com/uv3TLu2BZ2

The game's two biggest stars, Butler and Edwards, starting going back-and-forth early in the fourth quarter. Edwards hit a step-back three, which Butler answered with a pull-up shot from deep.

Ultimately, it was Edwards whose fire kept burning though, as he went to another level in the final quarter to lead Minnesota to a road win.