With Steph Curry out and Jimmy Butler aching, here come Thunder to face Warriors

SAN FRANCISCO – After sitting for about 20 minutes, Jimmy Butler III rises from his chair moving one limb at a time. His discomfort is evident. Asked how he’s feeling, he eschews athlete-speak and responds with typical candor.“You see how I’m walking,” he said with a sigh, left hand resting on his left hip and as he shuffles carefully out of the room.Three hours later, Butler’s name appeared on the Monday afternoon NBA injury report submitted by the Warriors in advance of their game Tuesday against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder at Chase Center.Two days removed from landing hard on his backside late in the Warriors’ 104-96 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, Butler was listed as “questionable” with a left gluteal contusion. In simpler terms, an aching ass.Add this to the first unwelcome blow to the Warriors last week. Stephen Curry sustained a left quad contusion last Wednesday and is expected to miss at least two more games, the next being OKC on Tuesday.And to think, the Warriors had hoped to use their five-game homestand to generate enough momentum to escape mediocrity. They split the first four games and now...