Jimmy Butler stats tonight: How did Warriors star fare against former team Heat in Steph Curry's absence (March 25)

Just weeks after joining the Golden State Warriors, Jimmy Butler has found himself in a unique leadership position. With Steph Curry missing his second straight game after suffering a pelvic contusion last Thursday, the responsibility of driving the Warriors' offense has fallen on Butler's shoulders.

On Tuesday, the Warriors took on the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center. In addition to Butler's need to step up in Curry's absence, this was the first time that he went up against the team he had a very public breakup with for a number of months.

Butler finished with 11 points, six rebounds, two assists, and one steal as Golden State got blown out by Miami 112-86.

The Warriors forward had a slow start in the first quarter of this game, finishing with just a bucket on 1-for-3 shooting, along with one rebound. His struggles continued in the second quarter, when he missed three more shots. Butler finished the first half with two points on 1-for-6 shooting, three rebounds, and one assist.

With the Warriors trailing 57-40 at halftime, Butler picked up his scoring in the third quarter, scoring nine points mostly off aggressive drives to the lane. Golden State, however, still could not cool off the Heat, who maintained their double-digit lead heading into the final 12 minutes.

The and-1 opportunity converted by Butler with 3:46 left in the third quarter would turn out to be his final points of the game, as he went scoreless the rest of the way. Butler's subpar scoring in this game reflected the Warriors' woeful production as a team; Miami's defense limited them to 39.8% shooting from the field (23.7% from beyond the arc).

Jimmy Butler on his exit from the Miami Heat: "I'll take being a bad guy"

With the benefit of hindsight, Butler has been able to share some perspective on his dramatic exit from the Miami Heat. In an interview with Anthony Slater of The Athletic, Butler opened up on his feelings surrounding his departure from Miami:

"You got to paint somebody to be the bad guy. I'll take being a bad guy," Butler told Slater.

Butler also pointed out how people were quick to judge stories that they heard about his behavior towards the end of the Miami stint. He maintained, however, that there was "always a reason behind" his interactions with the team, though he refused to go into further detail in the article.