Ohm YoungmisukMar 22, 2025, 11:51 PM ET
- Ohm Youngmisuk has covered the Giants, Jets and the NFL since 2006. Prior to that, he covered the Nets, Knicks and the NBA for nearly a decade. He joined ESPNNewYork.com after working at the New York Daily News for almost 12 years and is a graduate of Michigan State University.
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ATLANTA -- Jimmy Butler said his highly anticipated return to Miami to face his former Heat team will be just "another game" to him Tuesday.
After the Golden State Warriors dropped a disappointing 124-115 loss to the Atlanta Hawks without an injured Stephen Curry (pelvic contusion) on Saturday night, Butler said his return to Miami will be no different than his first game against former teams such as Chicago, Philadelphia and Minnesota.
Butler was traded from Miami to Golden State before the trade deadline last month after a tumultuous breakup with the Heat.
"Yeah, I was traded from there, yada, yada, yada," Butler said after finishing with 25 points, 8 assists and 4 rebounds in the loss to Atlanta. "Yeah, it didn't end the way that people wanted to, yada yada yada.
"But that's so far behind me now. I don't even think about it. I don't pay attention to nothing except for the trajectory of this squad."
Despite the setback in Atlanta, the Warriors (41-30) are 16-4 since Butler's debut Feb. 8.
The Heat, meanwhile, are on a 10-game slide for the first time since 2008. Miami is just 4-17 since the Butler trade became official on Feb. 7. During that span, Miami has been outscored by 125 points in the fourth quarter, the worst in the NBA since Feb. 6, according to research by ESPN Research.
This also will be the first time Andrew Wiggins and Kyle Anderson, two Warriors who were sent to Miami in the five-team trade involving Butler, will face their former team.
"We got Jimmy over here, I know this is a big game for him," Warriors power forward Draymond Green said. "They got Wiggs over there. I know it's a huge game for him. We want to win for Jimmy, they're going to want to win for Wiggs. We got to come out ready to play."
Butler, who helped the Heat reach two NBA Finals during his five-and-a-half seasons, praised the Miami fans for their support but said he is not curious about the reaction he will receive.
"Not really, don't make no difference," Butler said. "I'm a member of the Golden State Warriors. I love that fan base. They showed me a lot of love while I was there. But I'm there to win now. I'm on the opposing team."
When asked how he would characterize his time in Miami, Butler said it fell short of the ultimate goal of winning a title.
"We were alright," Butler said. "We didn't win nothing like we were supposed to. So I don't know. We made some cool runs. We had some fun. I think that's all we did."
Curry, meanwhile, is expected to be reevaluated Monday. And while coach Steve Kerr said he expects Curry to rejoin the team at some point on this six-game road swing, Butler is more focused on likely having to find a way to win in Miami without him.
"Another game for me, another game that we're expected to win for sure," Butler said after expressing disappointment of losing to the Hawks. "So we got to figure it out very quickly [without Curry]."
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