When the Golden State Warriors pulled off a stunning comeback win over the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2026 NBA Play-In Tournament, all eyes turned to one man on the sideline. Jimmy Butler, sidelined with a torn ACL, had the whole basketball world talking. His postgame message about Steph Curry was short, raw, and completely unforgettable.
Butler could not suit up. He could not take a single shot. But he showed up anyway and let his words do all the heavy lifting. His tunnel message after the win reminded every Warriors fan exactly why this partnership between him and Curry is something truly special.
Keep reading to get the full story.
The night that started everything
Golden State trailed the Clippers badly in the fourth quarter of a must-win Play-In game on April 15, 2026. The crowd at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles was loud and confident. The Warriors looked done. But Steph Curry had other plans, and Jimmy Butler was watching every second of it from the bench.
Curry dropped 27 of his 35 points in the second half, willing Golden State back into the game with clutch shot after clutch shot. Al Horford hit four three-pointers in the fourth quarter alone. The Warriors closed on a 16-5 run to win 126-121 and advance to face the Phoenix Suns.
The clutch three that broke everything open
With 50.4 seconds left and the game tied, Curry did what Curry always does. The Warriors and Clippers were knotted at 117 with under a minute to play. The Intuit Dome crowd braced for overtime. Then Curry caught the ball, leaned back, and buried a deep off-balance three-pointer that gave Golden State the lead for good.
Draymond Green sealed the win with two critical defensive plays in the final seconds. The shot quickly became a major talking point after the win. Warriors coach Steve Kerr summed it up perfectly after the game, saying simply: “This is why Steph came back.”
Butler’s reaction said everything
When Curry hit that three, the camera found Jimmy Butler. His face told the whole story. Butler smiled widely and nodded his head slowly, over and over. It was the nod of a man who already knew the shot was going in. Butler’s reaction suggested he never had any doubt that Curry would deliver in that moment. No panic. No nerves. Just pure belief in his teammate.
That reaction clip spread instantly across social media. Fans called it the most wholesome moment of the entire Play-In Tournament. Butler, who cannot play a single minute this postseason, was living the game through Curry. And honestly, so was everyone else watching.
The tunnel message heard around the league
In the tunnel after the win, Butler grabbed a microphone and made sure everyone knew what he felt. Butler was fired up in the best possible way. He looked into the camera and delivered his message without hesitation. “Between Dray, Steph, Gui, Big Al… wow!” Butler said.
He paused for effect before delivering the comedic twist: “Will Richard didn’t do anything, but he was over there with me, cheering his heart out. Wow. Go, Dubs!” The message was electric. Butler managed to hype up his team, make the basketball world laugh, and remind everyone of his deep loyalty to this Warriors group all in one go.
Little-known fact: Butler’s joke about Will Richard landed because Richard did not play in the Clippers game, along with Charles Bassey, Seth Curry, and Pat Spencer.
The IG troll that set the tone
Butler posted a video on Instagram arriving at the airport in Phoenix on April 17, 2026. Despite being in a walking boot and months into his ACL recovery, he flew out to be there in person. His message was classic Butler humor. “Phoenix, I’ve arrived. Yeah, come to get this dub. Well not me. Steph and company,” he said.
The post went viral immediately. Warriors fans loved the energy. It showed that even while rehabbing one of the most difficult injuries in basketball, Butler was still locked in. He was still in game mode mentally. He was still showing up for his team in every way he possibly could.
The injury that changed the season
Butler’s torn ACL on January 19, 2026, was a gut punch for the Warriors. But he never let it define him. Butler suffered the injury during a game against his former team, the Miami Heat. He had averaged 20.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.9 assists across 38 games before going down. The Warriors had been rounding into form. The loss of Butler, combined with Curry’s own knee issue that sidelined him for two months, threatened to derail everything Golden State had built.
Despite the setbacks, Butler’s mindset never wavered. In a recent interview, he said, “It hasn’t taken anything from me. If anything, it’s given me everything.” That perspective helped the Warriors stay mentally locked in during one of the most difficult stretches of their season.
How Butler arrived in the Bay in the first place
In February 2025, the Warriors acquired Butler from the Miami Heat in a five-team deal. Golden State sent Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, and a protected first-round pick to Miami in exchange. Butler then signed a two-year extension worth $111 million to stay with the Warriors through the 2026-27 season. The deal gave Curry another veteran co-star late in his prime.
The pairing paid off quickly. In the 2025 playoffs, Butler averaged 19.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.3 steals per game across 11 playoff games. The Warriors fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round, but the foundation of something special was clearly there.
Fun fact: Butler was not Golden State’s first choice at the 2025 trade deadline. The Warriors were reportedly “at the finish line” on a Kevin Durant trade before Durant personally told Steph Curry the move did not feel right.
TL;DR
- Jimmy Butler delivered a hilarious and heartfelt tunnel message praising Steph Curry after the Warriors beat the Clippers 126-121 in the 2026 Play-In Tournament.
- Curry scored 35 points, including the go-ahead three with 50 seconds left. Butler’s courtside reaction went viral immediately.
- Butler trolled the Suns with an Instagram video before the second Play-In game, flying to Phoenix despite his ACL recovery.
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This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.
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