Butler worry as Warriors issue injury update

When Jimmy Butler hit the hardwood late in the first quarter of Game 2 against the Houston Rockets, landing flat on his back after being undercut, you could almost feel the Golden State Warriors’ playoff ambitions wobble.

Butler’s pelvic contusion wasn’t just a personal setback – it could well be the pivot point in this Western Conference first-round series.

How did Butler get injured?

This wasn’t some freak accident. It was the kind of incident you expect when playoff basketball ramps up the physicality. Rockets guard Amen Thompson, tangled up with Draymond Green, lost his balance and lunged into Butler’s legs mid-air. Butler, rising for a rebound, had nowhere to go but down... and hard.

After a few painful minutes on the floor, Butler made it to the locker room under his own power but was soon ruled out with a pelvic contusion. The Warriors confirmed he’ll have an MRI on Thursday to check for further damage.

For Warriors fans, that MRI might as well be a season-defining moment. If there’s a fracture, Butler’s postseason is over. If not, there’s a chance, albeit painful, that he could push through, much like Steph Curry and Jonathan Kuminga have done recently with the same diagnosis.

But until that scan delivers news, good or bad, Golden State is holding its breath.

Game 2 collapse highlights Butler’s value

Without Butler, the Warriors never really found their footing. They lost 109-94, and it wasn’t pretty. Curry, hounded all night, finished with an inefficient 20 points. The supporting cast? Ineffective. Golden State’s three-point shooting kept them in touch, but they were dismal inside the arc.

There were moments, sure. The Warriors clawed the deficit back to 11 in the fourth. But each time they looked poised to close the gap, Houston shut the door. Jalen Green was the star, dropping 38 points with all the confidence of a man who knew Butler wasn’t there to get in his way.

Will Butler be back for Game 3?

That’s the question now hanging over the series as it heads back to San Francisco for Game 3 on Saturday. Golden State is level with Houston at 1-1, but the real concern is whether Butler’s pelvis will allow him back on the court.

The precedent isn’t exactly reassuring. Curry missed one game with his contusion; Kuminga missed two. But neither took the kind of fall Butler did. The Warriors need him back – not just for his scoring but for the intensity and grit he brings, which was sorely lacking as the Rockets bullied their way to a Game 2 win.

Without him, the Warriors’ margin for error shrinks to almost nothing.

The bigger picture for Golden State

The Butler-Curry partnership has been electric this season, with a 22-5 record when they share the court. Butler’s 25 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 steals were key in Game 1, setting the tone for what the Warriors hoped would be a deep run.

Now, they’re stuck in wait-and-see mode. One hard fall has potentially turned this series into a fight for survival.

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