Golden State Warriors All-Star guard and reigning NBA MVP Stephen Curry is scoring on an insane clip to start the 2015-16 season. He’s scored the most points through a team’s first 13 games since Michael Jordan in 1989. He’s score 40+ points four times already this season, he’s averaging 34.4 points per game and last night he dropped 40 on the Los Angeles Clippers in the Warriors comeback win which saw the Dubs trail by as many as 23 points.
Those numbers might scare many but one player that isn’t intimidated by Curry’s masterful start is a hard-nosed defender in his own right. Chicago Bulls wingman, Jimmy Butler.
Following from K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.
Jimmy Butler, who carried the Bulls past the Suns with 14 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter and strong defense throughout, will take turns on both Thompson and Curry.
Guess which one Butler wants more?
“I look forward to guarding everybody in this league, especially a prime-time scorer like (Curry),” Butler said. “So I’ll ask Coach for that matchup. No disrespect to him, but I like that.”
“We go in there, do what we’re supposed to do, play hard, guard, make some shots here and there and hopefully they’re not undefeated after they play us,” Butler said.
According to Basketball Reference, Butler and Curry have matched up five times in their careers with Butler getting the upperhand in three out of the five matchups. Curry is averaging 17.4 points per game against Butler’s Bulls while Jimmy is dropped 15.8 points per game against Curry’s Warriors.
Curry isn’t shooting too well when matched up against the Bulls. He’s shooting 39 percent from the field along with 32 percent from the three point line, not Curry-like numbers.
While it is expected that both Derrick Rose and Aaron Brooks will not play against the Warriors, it appears that the Bulls will be looking to Kirk Hinrich as the starting point guard to run the offense but defensively, look out for a ton of Curry-Butler matchups.
