'We're right where we want to be' – Warriors coach Kerr after play-in win

Steve Kerr said the Golden State Warriors are "right where we want to be" after star turns from Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry helped overcome the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Warriors, who were forced to feature in a play-in game against the Grizzlies after losing to the Los Angeles Clippers in their final regular-season game, triumphed 121-116 on Tuesday.

Butler finished with 38 points, while Curry had 37, as the Warriors teed up a first-round series against the Houston Rockets.

It has not been a vintage season for Golden State, but since Butler's arrival before the end of the trade deadline, they have clicked into gear.

"It took 83 games but we're right where we want to be, which is back in the playoffs, and we've got a chance," Kerr said.

Butler, feeding into his moniker of "Playoff Jimmy", had 21 points in the first half, matching his highest first-half points total in the regular season.

Jimmy Butler had 21 points in the first half, matching the highest point total he had in any half in the regular season.

— Opta Analyst US (@OptaAnalystUS) April 16, 2025

He dovetailed brilliantly with Curry, who knocked down a baseline 3-pointer with 1:50 to go and then sank another 50 seconds later.

Asked specifically about the "clutch" performances of his star players, Kerr replied: "Fearlessness.

"I told Steph after the game, what makes him who he is, even on a night when he's not really going, he's struggling to make shots, but he makes the two biggest shots of the game.

"That doesn't just come from skill. It comes from fortitude, fearlessness and incredible self-belief. 

"Jimmy possesses the same thing. Draymond [Green] too, in a different way, not so much in an offensive way, in a winning way.

"That's why I believe in my team so much. We've got winners in this locker room."

Tuesday's victory snapped a run of 0-3 in play-in games for the Warriors.