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Warriors’ Steve Kerr explains Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green’s limited minutes in Game 2 loss

Originally posted on NBA on ClutchPoints | By Erik Slater | Last updated May 9, 2025 4:24 PM ET

The Golden State Warriors fell 117-93 to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, tying their series at one apiece. With Stephen Curry sidelined for an extended period by a hamstring strain, the game featured several interesting lineup decisions by Steve Kerr. The Warriors became the first team in NBA history to play 14 players in the first half of a playoff game.

Jimmy Butler played 34 minutes and Draymond Green logged 29 minutes during the loss, after which Kerr explained his conservative approach.

“I didn’t want to push it with Draymond or Jimmy,” the coach told the Athletic’s Anthony Slater. “I didn’t want to chase this game unless it was really gettable. We obviously made a push in the second half. But we went into the game thinking we’d play a lot of people short-burst minutes, try to protect Jimmy and Draymond. They’ve been playing huge minutes every other day, flying all over the country. We had to weigh that.”

The Warriors fell behind 29-15 after the first quarter and 56-39 at halftime. They cut the deficit to seven midway through the third quarter but immediately surrendered an 11-0 run, putting the Timberwolves in control the rest of the way.

Steve Kerr explains deep rotation during Warriors’ Game 2 loss to Timberwolves

Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) looks to pass the ball over Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) in the first half during game two of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center. Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Butler played 17 minutes in the second half and eight in the fourth quarter, while Green logged 14 in the second half and just four in the final frame. Jonathan Kuminga logged 26 minutes off the bench, posting a team-high 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Trayce Jackson-Davis played 19 minutes in a reserve role, finishing with 15 points and six rebounds on 6-of-6 shooting.

“Part of the gameplan coming in was to play a lot of people,” Kerr said. “Part of the reasoning is, obviously the fatigue of the run we’ve been on with all the traveling and the games, but part of it also is we have to figure out what we’re gonna be able to do in this series without Steph. We gave a lot of people a lot of chances, and then some guys really stepped up.

“Trayce and Jonathan were both really good in this game. You can see that their athleticism was important. I thought we made a really spirited run, got it to seven, and then we just kind of lost a little bit of composure. We turned it over right out of that timeout a couple of times and gave up a couple of threes where we lost connection defensively. But we learned a lot, and I think this game will help us figure out how to move forward.”

The Warriors and Timberwolves will return to action in Golden State for Game 3 on Saturday.

This article first appeared on NBA on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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