The Golden State Warriors had a great performance against the Chicago Bulls on Sunday night in a 123-91 rout. Not only did they get the win, but head coach Steve Kerr also may have unlocked a dynamic duo in the process.
Bay Area sports reporter Tim Kawakami noted the following on social media: "Butler + Spencer is a very interesting second-unit combo (once Steph is back)."
Warriors have unlocked an unlikely second unit duo
Kawakami is of course referring to Jimmy Butler and Pat Spencer who both played very well on Sunday night. Butler was masterful in his return from injury, shooting 5-of-10 from the field and hitting two big three-pointers that helped put the game away as he had 19 points overall.
Spencer has arguably been the best player on the Warriors for the past week as he had great games against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers. He has earned Kerr's trust more and more with each performance and had another solid game against the Bulls as he shot 6-of-10 for 12 points.
Butler + Spencer is a very interesting second-unit combo (once Steph is back)
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) December 8, 2025
Kerr started both Butler and Spencer together and the Warriors got off to a hot start, building a first-quarter lead that they didn't relinquish over the remainder of the game. It was evident from being in attendance at the game that whenever Butler and Spencer were on the floor together, things seemed to click better as they were communicating well and the ball was getting to the right place.
Kawakami makes a really good point that having Butler and Spencer on the floor together makes a lot of sense even when the Warriors do get Stephen Curry back from his quad injury.
Spencer has done enough this past week to keep getting playing time even when Curry returns. Whenever Curry is on the bench resting, don't be surprised if Spencer comes in as point guard and acts as a distributor in a similar manner to how he has of late.
It has always been a struggle for Kerr to find offense on the floor whenever Curry is not in the game. Rolling with a second unit that has both Butler and Spencer seems like a solid grouping that can put points on the board.
Of course, it is easy to overreact to one game, but Butler has obviously done enough to warrant belief over the course of his career, and Spencer is putting together consecutive solid performances to suggest they could make for a formidable duo moving forward.