Kendrick Perkins, Stephen A. Smith Send Message to Jimmy Butler Amid Warriors-Timberwolves Series

Curry is sidelined due to a Grade 1 left hamstring strain that he suffered in Game 1 and he is expected to be out until at least Game 6 of the series.

With Curry out, the Warriors need other players to step u , including their star forward Jimmy Butler.

Ahead of Game 3 on Saturday, both Kendrick Perkins and Stephen A. Smith sent a message to Butler.

“This is a moment for Jimmy to play the wrong way,” Perkins said. “Shooting over double teams, waving guys off, he should not leave that arena without at least 25 field goal attempts tonight. You gotta go out swinging, you gotta come out and set the tone offensively. You’ve been here before, you led a team to the NBA Finals. They ain’t asking for much, you’re at home, they’re just asking you to get one game.”

“If we want to rave about Jimmy Butler … it is not much to ask him to get you one game,” Smith added.

It is clear that both Smith and Perkins believe that Butler needs to step up like he did during his time with the Miami Heat when he led them to two NBA Finals appearances.

They both make a great point as Butler is now Golden State’s best player with Curry sidelined and they need him to step up like he did in Game 1 if they want any chance in the series, especially as they look to extend it to at least six games so Curry has a chance of returning.