Warriors news: Curry joins MJ & LeBron in elite club, Butler shines again, Kuminga injury update

Two nights after kicking off the Jimmy Butler era with a wild 24-point comeback win over the Chicago Bulls, the Golden State Warriors kept things rolling on Monday evening with a 125-111 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.

While Butler had another strong outing, which we'll circle back to in just a moment, the Dubs rode the hot hand of Steph Curry, who tied his season-high with 38 points on 12-for-24 shooting from the floor, connecting on six of 16 attempts from beyond the three-point line.

Curry was part of yet another new lineup for Golden State, as Steve Kerr opted to go the small-ball route against the Bucks.

After starting the last six games, rookie big man Quentin Post was relegated to the bench with Draymond Green taking his spot at the center position. Butler began the game at power forward, while Moses Moody cracked the starting five alongside Curry and Buddy Hield on the perimeter.

And the move worked brilliantly, as the Warriors' starters combined to score 93 of the team's 125 points. With six points, Green was the only starter not to score in double figures but contributed elsewhere, recording three assists, five rebounds, five steals, and a block.

With Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined with a left calf injury, an ailment that will keep him out for at least a week, Damian Lillard stepped up to lead the Bucks, matching Curry's 38 points on 12-for-20 shooting.

New addition Kyle Kuzma, who was playing his third game with Milwaukee since being acquired from the Washington Wizards, had his best outing yet in a Bucks uniform, scoring 21 points and adding six rebounds.

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Steph Curry joined MJ, LeBron, and "The Mailman" in an exclusive club in the Warriors' win over the Bucks

Curry's 38-point effort on Monday night against Milwaukee marked the fourth straight game in which he's eclipsed the 30-point mark, scoring 32 against the Utah Jazz, 37 against the Los Angeles Lakers, and 34 against the Bulls in Golden State's previous three contests.

As such, this is the 11-time All-Star's longest 30-point streak since December 2021. Curry, who was appearing in his 1,000th career game, is also now one of only four players in NBA history to record four consecutive 30-point games at the age of 36 or older, the other three being Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, and LeBron James.

That's an elite club right there. Curry will get the chance to extend his streak to five on Wednesday night when the Warriors visit Klay Thompson and the Dallas Mavericks.

Jimmy Butler had a strong all-around effort against Milwaukee

In his Warriors debut this past Saturday against Chicago, Butler proved he could seamlessly slide into the Golden State lineup and contribute, scoring 25 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the floor.

But while his scoring ability was on display in the Windy City, he didn't contribute a ton in other areas, recording four assists, two rebounds, one steal, and one block.

Against the Bucks, however, things were different. While he wasn't nearly as efficient shooting the basketball, making just four of 12 shots from the field, he still put up 20 points as he got to the foul line 15 times, making a dozen of those attempts.

But in addition to the scoring, the other aspects of Butler's game were on full display in this victory, as the six-time All-Star added nine rebounds, six assists, and four steals, marking just the third time this season that he's recorded at least four in each category.

The latest Jonathan Kuminga injury update isn't great news

While Warriors fans have plenty to be excited about given how Butler has come in and jelled alongside Curry and the rest of his new teammates, there's still more excitement to come as Golden State awaits the return of Jonathan Kuminga, who's been sidelined since January 4 with an ankle injury.

But it looks as if the wait to see this trio on the floor will last a little longer, as the team announced on Monday that while Kuminga is progressing, he'll miss at least the Warriors' two remaining games before this weekend's All-Star break and won't be re-evaluated until February 20, the day before Golden State resumes play against the Sacramento Kings.