The passive nature of Jimmy Butler's play was a notable element from the Golden State Warriors' Game 4 defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night, with the 6x All-Star taking just nine shots and scoring only 14 points in the 117-110 loss.
It was of stark contrast to the 33-point performance Butler delivered in Game 3, leaving fans to wonder why the veteran was so quiet particularly given Stephen Curry's absence. The answer to that lies, in part, to Butler's health and the fact he was ill heading into Monday's game.
Jimmy Butler update provides little solace to Warriors fans
Draymond Green alluded to Butler feeling sick in his post-game press conference, with Steve Kerr now confirming that it definitely made an impact on what was an incredibly disappointing output from the 35-year-old.
"Jimmy was under the weather last night. He really was not feeling well and that definitely impacted him," Kerr told 95.7 The Game's Willard and Dibs on Tuesday. "Everyone knows who Jimmy is. He's one of the great playoff performers and I expect him to have a big game tomorrow."
While it's a positive that Butler is feeling better and will hopefully be able to deliver a performance akin to Game 3, it provides little solace to Warrior fans who now see their team 3-1 down in the series and on the brink of elimination.
Golden State's best chance was to win at least one of their two games at Chase Center, which would have subsequently extended the series and allowed Curry a little more time to recover from his hamstring strain in time for Game 6.
While the Warriors were competitive in both Games 3 and 4, they ultimately came up short as Butler went scoreless in the final eight minutes on Saturday, before being well below his best on Monday. Curry has already been ruled out for Game 5 at Target Center on Wednesday, leaving Golden State as heavy underdogs to avoid elimination and keep their playoffs hopes alive.
Aside from the resurgent Jonathan Kuminga who's averaged a team-high 23.7 points in the last three games, no one else has particularly stood up for the Warriors without Curry which has left them in this precarious position.
Butler has averaged a steady 21.0 points in this series, but has shot just 44.1% from the floor and has underdelivered based on what Golden State need right now. Hopefully that changes on Wednesday, with the Warriors requiring a signature Butler playoff performance to remain alive.