Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler. Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Jimmy Butler ties Michael Jordan playoff record

By Sai Mohan | Last updated Apr 29, 2025 10:46 AM ET

Jimmy Butler can't shoot like Stephen Curry, dribble like Kyrie Irving, pass like Nikola Jokic or score at all three levels like Luka Doncic. But he's got a superpower very few in NBA history possess: poise.

As we've seen in countless playoff games over the last decade, Butler rarely ever makes a mistake at the end of tight playoff games.

The Warriors learned that firsthand in their Game 4 win over the Rockets on Monday. Steve Kerr's team committed six costly turnovers in the second quarter, which led to them being outscored 31-22. During that stretch, Butler was noticeably hobbled after missing Game 3 with an injury, attempting just one shot through 8:43 on the court.

In the second half, Butler put on his cape, scoring 23 of his 27 points to lead the Warriors to a 109-106 victory. His clutch shot-making aside, Butler collected the game-sealing rebound with 0.4 seconds left and proceeded to make both his free throws to ice the game.

Jimmy Butler in 4Q: 14 PTS

Rest of Warriors: 13 PTS

Playoff Jimmy is BACK pic.twitter.com/vqokXhMQhU
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 29, 2025

Butler's final stat line of 27 points, five rebounds, six assists and zero turnovers means he's now tied with Michael Jordan in playoff lore.

Jimmy Butler ties Michael Jordan in all-time playoff games with 25/5/5 & 0 TOV. pic.twitter.com/Ucno2nlOuC
— Polymarket Hoops (@StatMamba) April 29, 2025

Butler's teammates couldn't stop raving about his mental fortitude to play through an injury.

"The first three quarters, he couldn't move. Not sure how he started moving in the fourth quarter, but he never complained. He stuck with it," Draymond Green said of Butler, via ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. "I think what was most important, when the time was right, everybody on our side looked to get him the ball. When you get him the ball, he made great things happen for himself or for others. It was huge."

Head coach Steve Kerr was the least bit surprised to see Butler make the two game-winning plays down the stretch.

"He's Jimmy Butler, so this is what he does," Kerr said. "The rebound at the end was just incredible, the elevation, the force. Then, of course, knocking down the free throws to clinch it. Jimmy was just amazing."

Butler and the Warriors, up 3-1 in the series, will have three attempts to close out the Rockets, starting with Wednesday's Game 5 in Houston.

Sai Mohan

A veteran sportswriter based in Portugal, Sai covers the NBA for Yardbarker and a few local news outlets. He had the honor of covering sporting events across four different continents as a newspaper reporter. Some of his all-time favorite athletes include Mike Tyson, Larry Bird, Luís Figo, Ayrton Senna and Steffi Graf.

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