The Golden State Warriors may have to try to win a playoff game or two without the services of Jimmy Butler.
Shams Charania of ESPN reported on Thursday on the extent of the Warriors star Butler’s injury. Butler has been diagnosed with a deep glute muscle contusion, and his status for Game 3 against the Houston Rockets on Saturday night is said to be in “serious jeopardy.”
However, Charania adds that the diagnosis for Butler is a “best case” scenario. This is because an MRI revealed that Butler avoided a fracture or any other kind of structural damage.
The six-time All-Star Butler was injured during the Warriors’ Game 2 loss to the Rockets on Wednesday. He was going up for a defensive rebound when he got undercut by Houston’s Amen Thompson and crashed hard to the floor as a result, landing on his tailbone (video here). Butler’s injury occurred in the first quarter, and he did not return to the game, in which Golden State ultimately fell 109-94.
Butler was acquired by Golden State in a blockbuster trade this past February. They were a sub-.500 team before Butler debuted, but his arrival completely jumpstarted the Warriors, and they went a scorching 23-8 to close out the regular season to finish at 48-34 overall.
Golden State took care of business on the road by winning Game 1 against Houston to secure homecourt advantage in the first-round playoff series. But now that they are playing at home for the next two games, the Warriors may be down their two-way talisman in Butler.
