The Golden State Warriors finished their 2024-25 regular season in seventh place in the Western Conference with a 48-34 record, landing in the play-in tournament and having to face the Memphis Grizzlies.
For a chance to secure a spot in the playoffs, the Warriors took down the Grizzlies in Golden State on Tuesday night, 121-116, behind incredible performances from Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler.
Curry dropped 37 points, 15 in the fourth quarter, to take the Warriors over the hump in a tight game, but it was Butler who really shined on Tuesday night. Butler led the Warriors with 38 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals on 12-20 shooting from the field, 2-4 from three-point range, and 12-18 from the free-throw line.
38 FOR JIMMY BUTLER III.
37 FOR STEPHEN CURRY.WARRIORS TAKE THE WEST’S #7 SEED 🚨 pic.twitter.com/g7Za1dT8ap
— NBA (@NBA) April 16, 2025
Butler’s 18 free-throw attempts on Tuesday night set a new play-in tournament record for the most in a single game, passing the previous record set by Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum, who went 17-17 from the charity stripe in a 50-point outing in 2021.
Jimmy Butler had the most free throws in Play-In history tonight
(via @realapp_) pic.twitter.com/8yOG8IXJK4
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) April 16, 2025
Butler has been noted as one of the league’s top postseason performers, and it showed on Tuesday night to help punch Golden State’s ticket to the first round of the playoffs. Butler’s 38 points over the Grizzlies are the most he has scored in a single game as a Warrior, proving to the organization that he was worth trading for.
Butler and the Warriors are now set to face the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs, with game one of the highly-anticipated series on Sunday.
