Jimmy Butler makes Warriors franchise history

Through 17 games in Golden State, Butler has tallied 293 points, 101 rebounds and 104 assists, making franchise history along the way.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr praised Butler for recognizing his Tuesday assignment as the No. 1 option on offense and responding accordingly. 

"He just does whatever necessary," Kerr said of Butler, via The Athletic's Anthony Slater. "It was good for us to play actually without Steph because it forces the rest of the team to play through Jimmy and see what we got. It was a big time win."

Butler deserves a ton of credit for assuming an enormous offensive load, but not exactly with his shot attempts. The 35-year-old attempted only 13 shots Tuesday but initiated most of the offense with his 10 dimes. His usage rate of 26.5 percent was significantly up from his 20.6 percent in February and 20.8 percent through the first eight games in March. 

The Warriors could realistically afford to rest Curry again when they host the Raptors on Thursday. Kerr raised some eyebrows by suggesting that Curry was "exhausted" and needed rest in the season's homestretch entering the playoffs.